prurio

Forms

prūriō (present infinitive prūrīre); fourth conjugation, no passive, no perfect or supine stems^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *prous-je/o- (“to itch”),^[2] from Proto-Indo-European *preus-i- (“(cold and) wet, itching”).^[2] Wiktionary calls the origin uncertain and the link with a root meaning “to freeze” only possible.^[1] The OLD compares pruīna (“hoarfrost”).^[3]

De Vaan's cognates include Welsh rhew (“frost”) and Breton rev (“frost”), Sanskrit प्रुषित (pruṣitá-, “sprinkled, wet”), Old Norse frjósa (“to freeze”) from Proto-Germanic *freus-, and Old High German frost; Lithuanian praũsti (“to wash”) may also belong here.^[2] He explains prūna (“glowing charcoal”) from the same root: the sense “to be wet, to itch” was also applied to great heat, hence “burning”.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Plautus,^[2] who uses it of parts of the body that tingle in expectation of a beating, as in iam scapulae prūriunt, “now my shoulders are itching”.^[3][4]

Semantic evolution

The plain physical sense “to itch” is cited from Scribonius Largus and Juvenal.^[3][5] Plautus' tingling of the teeth or shoulders before a blow is a jesting use.^[3][6] Plautus and Catullus also use it of sexual excitement, and Martial even of wanton verses.^[3][5][6] Martial uses it as well of eagerness for other things: a young bull prūrit in pugnam, itches for the fight.^[3][4]

The Vulgate speaks of people prūrientēs auribus, with itching ears, who gather teachers to suit their desires,^[5][4] and Ecclesiastical Latin keeps the senses “itch, long for”.^[7] The verb survives in Italian prurire and prudere and in Catalan and Portuguese pruir.^[1]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of the tingling of shoulders and teeth before a beating.^[3][8]
• 81/79–52/50 BC – Catullus uses it of sexual excitement.^[3][8]
• c. 47 AD – Scribonius Largus uses it of the mouth itching.^[3][8]
• 40–102/103 AD – Martial has a young bull itching for the fight.^[3][8]
• 390–406 AD – The Vulgate speaks of itching ears.^[5][8]

Meanings

Verb

1. To itch.^[3][5]
2. To tingle in expectation of a blow.^[3][6]
3. To have a sexual craving, be lustful.^[3][5]
4. To itch for, be eager for something.^[3][4][7]

Word family

• prūrīgō
• prūrītus
• prūrītīvus
• prūriōsus

Related words

• pruīna
• prūna

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c d Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
5. ^ a b c d e f Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
7. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
8. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de