prolongatio

Forms

prōlongātiō f (genitive prōlongātiōnis); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin prōlongō (“to prolong”) with the suffix -tiō.^[2][3][4] Wiktionary analyses it as from Latin prōlongātus + -tiō, from the past participle of the same verb.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

It first appears in Jerome (c. 383–419/420 AD), who uses it in explaining Hebrew names: he renders the name Mosoch as “prolongation or failing”.^[2][4]

Semantic evolution

In Late Latin it also meant length or long duration in a more definite sense.^[2] In medieval documents it was the extension of a set time, such as a holiday, a truce or a life,^[3] and in law a postponement or delay.^[5][3]

English borrowed it in the late 14th century, partly through Old French.^[6]

Timeline

• c. 383–419/420 AD – Jerome uses it in his explanations of Hebrew names.^[2][4]
• 1120 – A charter grants an extension of a holiday.^[3]
• 1279 – A letter asks for debts to be paid without delay.^[3]
• late 14th century – Borrowed into English as prolongation, from Old French and directly from Medieval Latin.^[6]

Meanings

Noun

1. (Late Latin) Lengthening, prolongation.^[1][2][4]
2. (Late Latin) Length of time, long duration.^[2]
3. (Medieval Latin) Extension of a term or period.^[3][5]
4. (Medieval Latin, law) Postponement, delay.^[5][3]

Related words

• English prolongation

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
3. ^ a b c d e f g Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b c Lexicon mediae et infimae Latinitatis Polonorum (1953–), Kraków: Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN; electronic ed. elexicon.scriptores.pl
6. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com