Etymologically
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publicatio

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Forms

pūblicātiō f (genitive pūblicātiōnis); third declension[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin pūblicō (“to confiscate, make public”) + -tiō, from pūblicus “public”.[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is Cicero, of confiscation, and Lewis & Short cite his Catilinarians.[2][4] Köbler dates Cicero 81–43 BC.[3]

Semantic evolution

It meant the appropriation of property by the state, confiscation, as in Cicero, and a sale by auction; later it meant disclosure, publication.[2][4][5]

English publication (late 14th century, “making publicly known”) is from it, and German Publikation too.[6][3]

Timeline

  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of confiscation.[2][3]
  • late 14th century – English publication is recorded.[6]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Confiscation.[2][4]
  2. Disclosure, publication.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  4. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  6. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com