Etymologically
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sarrio

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ˈsar.ri.oː][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [ˈsar.ri.o][1]

Forms

sarriō (present infinitive sarrīre, perfect active sarruī or sarrīvī, supine sarrītum); fourth conjugation[1] The OLD, de Vaan and Georges head it sāriō, and Georges says the spelling with one ⟨r⟩ is that of the best manuscripts and of inscriptions.[2][3][4] Cato already writes sarr-.[3] The perfect is sarruī in Cato and sarrīvī in Columella.[5]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *sars-je/o- (“to hoe, weed”), inherited from Proto-Indo-European *sr̥s-ie/o- (“to cut off, weed”), in de Vaan's reconstruction; he leaves open whether ⟨sāriō⟩ or ⟨sarriō⟩ is the older spelling, and notes that the best argument for the double ⟨rr⟩ is a possible link with serra (“saw”).[3] He also suggests that the root may be Proto-Indo-European *ser- (“to cut off”).[3] Cognate with Sanskrit सृणी (sr̥ṇī́-, “sickle”) and Khotanese harraa- (“saw”).[3][2] Köbler instead suggests a Gaulish origin, with a question mark.[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Plautus,[3] who has semper occant prius quam sariunt rustici, “farmers always harrow before they hoe”.[2][4]

Semantic evolution

It is a farming word:[5] intransitively, to hoe, and transitively, to hoe the soil or weed the crops, as in Varro's man who came to weed my cornfields.[2][5] Cato prescribes hoeing grain twice, Pliny the Elder hoeing beans and an impersonal saritur, “the hoeing is done”, and Martial uses it of a rock.[4] The Vulgate has it in Isaiah.[5] Stelten gives it in Ecclesiastical Latin as to weed or cultivate.[7]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus, “to hoe”.[2][3][6]
  • 234–149 BC – Cato writes sarr- and prescribes hoeing grain.[3][4][6]
  • 116–27 BC – Varro, of weeding cornfields.[2][6]
  • 1st century AD – Columella, the perfect sarrīvī.[5][6]

Meanings

Verb

  1. (intransitive) To hoe.[2][1]
  2. (transitive) To weed (crops); to hoe or dig over (land).[2][5][1]

Word family

  • sarculum
  • sarrītor
  • sartor
  • serra

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h 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 Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  5. ^ a b c d e f Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  7. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson