Etymologically

produco

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 15 October 2026 at 22:39. This address is a permanent link to this version.

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [proːˈduː.koː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [proˈduː.ko][1]

Forms

prōdūcō (present infinitive prōdūcere, perfect active prōdūxī, supine prōductum); third conjugation, irregular short imperative[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin pro- (“forth”) + duco (“to lead”).[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Plautus has people brought out of doors and a lyre player brought out.[2][4] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to bring forth, lead out, as slaves for sale in Terence, and to bring someone before the people or witnesses into court, as in Cicero.[2][6] It was used of birth, as Horace's prayer that the goddess bring forth offspring, of rearing children, and of producing or inventing, as Lucretius' Venus producing various forms.[2] It meant to lead on, escort, entice, and to promote in rank.[2] Caesar uses it of extending a battle line, and it meant to prolong time, as Terence's sipping cups to draw out the day.[2] Grammarians used it of lengthening a vowel, as Varro on rūta caesa, and of extending a word with a suffix.[2]

English produce is recorded in the early 15th century as “develop, extend, lengthen out”.[7]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of bringing someone out.[2][5]
  • 190–159 BC – Terence uses it of bringing slaves for sale.[2][5]
  • 116–27 BC – Varro uses it of lengthening a vowel.[2][5]
  • early 15th century – English produce is recorded.[7]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To bring forth, lead out; to bring into court.[2][4]
  2. To bring forth offspring; to bring up, rear.[2][1]
  3. To produce, create, invent.[2][1]
  4. To lead on, escort; to entice.[2]
  5. To promote, advance.[2][1]
  6. To extend, lengthen; to prolong time.[2][1]
  7. (grammar) To pronounce long; to lengthen by a suffix.[2]

Word family

  • prōducta
  • prōductilis
  • prōductiō
  • prōductīvus
  • prōdūcibilis
  • prōductō
  • prōductor
  • prōductus
  • prōdux
  • abdūcō
  • addūcō
  • circumdūcō
  • condūcō
  • dēdūcō
  • dīdūcō
  • dūcō
  • ēdūcō
  • indūcō
  • intrōdūcō
  • English produce
  • English product

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  4. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com