reprehendo

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [rɛ.preˈ(ɦ)ɛn.doː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [re.preˈɛn.do]^[1]

Forms

reprehendō (present infinitive reprehendere, perfect active reprehendī, supine reprehēnsum); third conjugation^[1] Also reprendō and repraehendō; poets use the contracted forms.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is from re- “back” and prehendō “to grasp, seize”.^[2][1][4] De Vaan traces ⟨prehendō⟩ to Proto-Italic *(prai-)χend- (“to seize”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰ-n(e)-d- (“to grab”).^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citations are from Plautus, of catching hold of someone to hold them back.^[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[6]

Semantic evolution

It meant to catch and hold back, as in Plautus; to seize back, retrieve; in Vitruvius to detect a crime; and figuratively to pull someone up, reprehend, as in Cicero, and to find fault with conduct, censure, as in Terence.^[2][7]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to censure.^[8] English reprehend (mid-14th century) is from it, and through Old French reprendre “to take back”, English reprise.^[4] It survives in Italian riprendere and French reprendre.^[1]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of holding back.^[2][6]
• 190–159 BC – Terence uses it of censure.^[2][6]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of reprehending a person.^[2][6]
• mid-14th century – English reprehend is recorded.^[4]

Meanings

Verb

1. To catch and hold back, restrain.^[2]
2. To seize back, retrieve.^[2]
3. To detect (a crime).^[2]
4. To reprehend, censure, rebuke.^[2]

Word family

• irreprehēnsus
• reprehēnsibilis
• reprehēnsiō
• reprehēnsor
• reprehēnsō
• reprehēnsus

Related words

• apprehendō
• comprehendō
• dēprehendō
• prehendō
• English reprehend
• English reprise

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 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. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
6. ^ a b c d 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. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson