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redimo

Etymology and origin of the Latin word redimo

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
Plautus
Ultimate origin
Proto-Indo-European (*h₁em-)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin redimo
Latin redemptio
English ransom

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈrɛ.dɪ.moː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈrɛː.di.mo][1]

Forms

redimō (present infinitive redimere, perfect active redēmī, supine redēmptum); third conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is from red- “back” and emō “to take, buy”.[2][1][3] De Vaan traces ⟨emō⟩ to Proto-Italic *eme/o- (“to take”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁em- (“to take”).[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citations are from Plautus, of buying back.[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to buy back what had been sold, as in Plautus and Cicero; to buy up; to make good, pay for, fulfil a promise, as in Sallust; to contract for, as in Cato; to ransom a person; to buy out of trouble; to buy what could not otherwise be had; and to buy off.[2][6]

In Christian Latin it meant to redeem, set free, deliver.[7] English redeem (early 15th century, “buy back, ransom”, and “deliver from sin”) came through Old French redimer and directly from Latin.[3]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.[2][5]
  • 234–149 BC – Cato uses it of contracting.[2][5]
  • 86–34 BC – Sallust uses it of making good.[2][5]
  • early 15th century – English redeem is recorded.[3]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To buy back, repurchase; to buy up.[2]
  2. To make good; to fulfil (a promise).[2]
  3. To contract for.[2]
  4. To ransom; to buy off.[2]
  5. (Ecclesiastical Latin) To redeem, deliver.[7]

Word family

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  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 Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson

Derived terms

Cite this entry

“Redimo.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/redimo. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·