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resignatio

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word resignatio

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1217
Ultimate origin
Latin resīgnō
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin signo
French signer
Latin resigno
Latin resignatio
From the same root
Latin consigno ← signo
Latin designo ← signo
Latin dissignatio ← signo
Latin insigno ← signo
Latin signator ← signo
Latin signatura ← signo
Latin subsigno ← signo

Forms

resīgnātiō f (genitive resīgnātiōnis); third declension[1][2]

Etymology

It is from Latin resīgnō (“to unseal; to give back”) + -tiō.[2][1] The verb is re- with sīgnō (“to mark, seal”),[3] from sīgnum (“mark, sign”), which de Vaan traces to Proto-Italic *sekno- and Proto-Indo-European *sek(h₂)-no- (“cut”).[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The oldest instance in the TLL is in Victorinus of Poetovio's commentary on the Apocalypse, where the unsealing of the seals is the opening of the Old Testament.[2]

Semantic evolution

In medieval charters it is the giving up of a right or property, such as a right of patronage, and the resignation of an office or benefice.[5][1] English resignation, from the late 14th century, comes from Old French and directly from Medieval Latin.[6]

Timeline

  • 1217 – The Patent Rolls use it of a parson's resignation of his church.[5]
  • 1226 – A charter uses it of the surrender of a right.[5]
  • late 14th century – English borrows it as resignation.[6]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (Late Latin) An unsealing, opening.[2][1]
  2. (Medieval Latin) A surrender or release of a right or property.[5][1]
  3. (Medieval Latin) The resignation of an office or benefice.[5][7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  2. ^ a b c d Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  3. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  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. ^ a b c d e Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
  6. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  7. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
Cite this entry

“Resignatio.” Etymologically, 24 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/resignatio. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·