reformo
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Pronunciation
Forms
refōrmō (present infinitive refōrmāre, perfect active refōrmāvī, supine refōrmātum); first conjugation[1]
Etymology
It is from re- “again” and fōrmō “to shape”, from fōrma “form”.[2][1][3]
Earliest recorded meaning
Gaffiot and the OLD cite Ovid's Metamorphoses, of restoring a shape.[4][2] Köbler dates Ovid 43 BC–18 AD.[5]
Semantic evolution
Lewis & Short note that it is not found before Augustus.[6] It meant to restore to a former shape or condition, and to form a new shape, as in Ovid; to alter, transform, as in Seneca; and to restore, re-establish, as in Valerius Maximus.[2][4]
In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to renew, reform, remake.[7] English reform (late 14th century, “restore to a better form”) came through Old French reformer and directly from Latin.[3]
Timeline
- 43 BC–18 AD – Ovid uses it.[4][5]
- 4 BC–65 AD – Seneca uses it of transforming.[2][5]
- late 14th century – English reform is recorded.[3]
Meanings
Verb
- To alter, transform.[2]
- To form anew; to restore to a former shape, restore.[2]
- (Ecclesiastical Latin) To renew, reform.[7]
Word family
- refōrmātiō
- refōrmātor
- refōrmātus
- reformabilis
Related words
References
- ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d e f Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
- ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
- ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
- ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson