retardo

Forms

retardō (present infinitive retardāre, perfect active retardāvī, supine retardātum); first conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin re- (“back”) + tardō (“to delay”).^[2][1] tardō is from tardus (“slow”), for which de Vaan finds no etymology, rejecting Walde and Hofmann's comparison with Greek and Sanskrit words for weak and young.^[3][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Lewis & Short call it a favourite word of Cicero,^[4] who writes in a letter that he thinks Ocella and the others have been held up.^[2]

Semantic evolution

It means to hinder the progress of a person, delay or hold up, and also to slow movements or processes, as Cicero's planets whose motions sometimes speed up and sometimes slow down, and his threat to check Vatinius' chatter with a few questions.^[2][4] Of circumstances it is to make someone hesitate, inhibit or deter, as the rumours spread to discourage witnesses in the Verrines.^[2] Intransitively it means to slow down or lag behind.^[2][4] Church Latin glosses it to check, stop, hold back, retard.^[5] English retard (late 15th century) came through French and directly from Latin.^[6]

Timeline

• 81–43 BC – Cicero of travellers held up and planets slowing.^[2][4][7]
• late 15th century – Borrowed into English as retard.^[6]

Meanings

Verb

1. To hinder the progress of, delay, hold up; to slow down.^[2][4][1]
2. To make hesitate, inhibit, deter.^[2][4]
3. Intransitively, to slow down, lag behind.^[2][4]

Word family

• retardātiō

Related words

• tardō
• tardus
• English retard

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
4. ^ a b c d e f g Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
6. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de