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reperio

Etymology and origin of the Latin word reperio

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
Plautus
Ultimate origin
Proto-Indo-European (*perh₃-)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [rɛˈpɛ.ri.oː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [reˈpɛː.ri.o][1]

Forms

reperiō (present infinitive reperīre, perfect active repperī, supine repertum); fourth conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is from re- and pariō “to produce, bring forth”, with the perfect ⟨repperī⟩ from the reduplicated ⟨*re-peper-⟩.[2][1][3] De Vaan traces ⟨pariō⟩ to Proto-Indo-European *perh₃- (“to provide”), and treats the link between “bear” and “find” together with the ⟨-perīre⟩ of experior.[4] The TLL compares Ancient Greek ἔπορον (époron, “I provided”).[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is from Plautus, of finding by looking.[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[6]

Semantic evolution

It meant to find by looking, discover, and to light upon, get, both in Plautus, and Terence has parentēs reperīre “to find one's parents again”.[2][7] In Cicero it meant to learn of something, and in Plautus to find by inquiry, to find a thing to be so, and to devise, invent.[2]

Its participle repertum gave Late Latin repertōrium “inventory”, the source of English repertory and English repertoire.[8]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of finding.[2][6]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of learning of something.[2][6]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To find, discover.[2]
  2. To get, acquire.[2]
  3. To find out, learn.[2]
  4. To find to be.[2]
  5. To devise, invent.[2]

Word family

  • irrepertus
  • repertīcius
  • repertio
  • repertor
  • repertōrium
  • repertrix
  • repertum
  • repertus

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 k Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  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. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  6. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  7. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  8. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
Cite this entry

“Reperio.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/reperio. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·