religo

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈrɛ.lɪ.ɡoː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈrɛː.li.ɡo]^[1]

Forms

religō (present infinitive religāre, perfect active religāvī, supine religātum); first conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is from re- (“back”) and ligō “to bind”.^[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's first citation is Livius Andronicus, of making something fast.^[2] Köbler dates Livius Andronicus 280/260–before 200 BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant to tie back, tie the hands or hair out of the way, as in Horace and Ovid, to tie up a bag, as in Varro, and to bind fast, as Cicero's Prometheus bound to the rocks and his man tied to a chariot.^[2][5][6] It meant to tether an animal, to bind with an ornamental band, to make fast, secure, and to moor a ship, as Caesar's ships moored to the shore.^[2][6] In Catullus it apparently meant the opposite, to untie.^[2]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to bind, fasten.^[7] It survives in French relier “to bind, connect” and Italian rilegare.^[1] Through Old French relier it is the source of English rely in the mid-14th century.^[3] Later ancient writers such as Servius, Lactantius and Augustine connected religiō with it, “a bond between humans and gods”, though others derive that word from relegō.^[3]

Timeline

• 280/260–before 200 BC – Livius Andronicus uses it of making fast.^[2][4]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of Prometheus bound.^[5][4]
• c. 50 BC – Caesar uses it of mooring ships.^[2][6][4]
• mid-14th century – English rely is recorded.^[3]

Meanings

Verb

1. To tie back (out of the way); to tie up.^[2]
2. To bind fast; to tether.^[2]
3. To make fast, secure; to moor (a ship).^[2]
4. To tie down, attach.^[2]
5. To untie.^[2]

Word family

• irreligātus
• religamen
• religātiō
• religiō

Related words

• ligō
• English rely
• English religion

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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 c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
7. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson