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resulto

Etymology and origin of the Latin word resulto

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Lucretius
Ultimate origin
Latin (saliō)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [rɛˈsʊɫ.toː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [reˈs̬ul.to][1]

Forms

resultō (present infinitive resultāre, perfect active resultāvī, supine resultātum); first conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin resiliō (“to rebound”) + -tō, a frequentative.[2][3][4] Wiktionary also allows a formation from re- and saltō “to dance, leap”.[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Lucretius says bodies that collide spring back.[5][6] Köbler dates Lucretius 96–55 BC.[7]

Semantic evolution

It meant to spring or leap back, to rebound, used mostly of inanimate things and in poetry and post-Augustan prose, as Virgil's spears rebounding from helmet and shield.[5][6] Ovid uses it of a fish jumping away and Apuleius of a bird hopping off the ground.[2] Of sound it meant to echo, reverberate, as Virgil and Pliny the Elder say echoes are hostile to bees.[2][6]

In medieval Latin it came to mean to follow as a consequence.[1][4] Its descendants include French résulter, Italian risultare and Spanish resultar.[1] English result is recorded in the early 15th century as a verb.[4]

Timeline

  • 96–55 BC – Lucretius uses it of rebounding bodies.[5][7]
  • 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it of spears and of echoes.[6][7]
  • 23/24–79 AD – Pliny the Elder uses it of echoes.[2][7]
  • early 15th century – English result is recorded.[4]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To leap back, spring away.[2][1]
  2. To rebound.[2][1]
  3. To echo, resound.[2][1]
  4. (Medieval Latin) To follow as a consequence, result.[1][4]

Word family

  • resultatio
  • resultātum

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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. ^ Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  4. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c d Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  7. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
Cite this entry

“Resulto.” Etymologically, 15 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/resulto. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·