Etymologically
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regero

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈrɛ.ɡɛ.roː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈrɛː.d͡ʒe.ro][1]

Forms

regerō (present infinitive regerere, perfect active regessī, supine regestum); third conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is from re- “back” and gerō “to carry”.[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Gaffiot cites Livy, of earth thrown back from a ditch.[4] Köbler dates Livy 59 BC–17 AD.[5] Lewis & Short note that it is frequent only after Augustus.[6]

Semantic evolution

It meant to carry back, restore, replace, as in Ovid; to throw back a remark, retort, as in Horace; to make evils recoil on someone, as in Seneca; and in Celsus to throw something back behind oneself.[2]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to bring or carry back, return, retort.[7] Its participle in the Late Latin plural regesta “things recorded, a list” gave Medieval Latin registrum, the source of English register (late 14th century).[3]

Timeline

  • 59 BC–17 AD – Livy uses it of earth thrown back.[4][5]
  • 65–8 BC – Horace uses it of a retort.[2][5]
  • late 14th century – English register is recorded.[3]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To carry back, restore, replace.[2]
  2. To throw back a remark, retort.[2]
  3. To make recoil on someone.[2]
  4. To throw back behind oneself.[2]
  5. (Late Latin) To record, regesta a list.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  5. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson