rigeo

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈrɪ.ɡe.oː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈriː.d͡ʒe.o]^[1]

Forms

rigeō (present infinitive rigēre); second conjugation, no perfect or supine stems^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *rig-ē-, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *Hriǵ-eh₁- (“to be stretched, be stiff”), a stative verb.^[2][1] Cognate with Old Irish rigid (“stretches”) and Middle Irish ring (“torture”).^[2][1] Pokorny derived it from regō “to stretch, rule”, which de Vaan finds unlikely, and Walde and Hofmann from the root of frīgus “cold”, which would not explain the short vowel.^[2] De Vaan follows Schumacher in positing one verb *reiǵ- “to stretch, bind”.^[2] Lewis and Short compared Ancient Greek ῥιγέω (rhigéō, “to shiver”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Cicero, though rigidus is older.^[2] Köbler dates Cicero 81–43 BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant to be stiff, rigid or unbending, as Virgil's cloak stiff with gold embroidery and the boxing gloves stiff with lead and iron, and of eyes to be fixed in a stare.^[5] Cicero uses it of the parts of the earth stiff with cold, and it was used of limbs numb with cold and of freezing water.^[5][3] It also meant to stand stiffly erect, and of hair to stand on end, as Ovid's comae terrōre rigēbant.^[5][6]

Timeline

• 81–43 BC – Cicero speaks of lands stiff with cold.^[5][4]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil describes a cloak stiff with gold.^[5][4]
• 43 BC–18 AD – Ovid says hair stood on end with terror.^[5][4]

Meanings

Verb

1. To be stiff, rigid, (of the eyes) to be fixed.^[5]
2. To be stiff with cold, numb, (of water) to be freezing.^[5]
3. To stand stiffly erect, (of hair) to stand on end.^[5]

Word family

• dērigeō
• rigator
• rigefaciō
• rigēscō
• rigidus
• rigor
• rigēns

Related words

• rigidē
• rigiditās
• rigidō
• rigōrātus
• English rigid
• English rigour

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
3. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.