scindo

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈskɪn.doː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈʃin.do]^[1]

Forms

scindō (present infinitive scindere, perfect active scidī or scicidī, supine scissum); third conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *ski-n-d-e/o-, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *ski-n-d- (“to split, tear off”), a present with a nasal infix.^[2][1] The old reduplicated perfect scicidī continues a Proto-Italic perfect *ski-skid-.^[2][3]

Cognate with Sanskrit छिनत्ति (chinátti, “cuts off”), Ancient Greek σχίζω (skhízō, “to split”) and Old Irish sceïd (“vomits”).^[2][3][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found from Naevius onwards,^[2] and the early poets Naevius, Ennius and Accius use the old perfect scicidi.^[3][4]

Semantic evolution

It meant to split or cleave with a violent blow, as Plautus' lintel of the Phrygian gate, and to cleave the ground in ploughing, as in Virgil.^[3][5] It meant to tear apart or rend, as Plautus' storms that tear the sails, and to tear up a letter or a garment, as in Cicero and Livy.^[3][6][5]

Figuratively it meant to divide a people into factions, as in Virgil's “the uncertain crowd is split into opposing parties”, and to distract or disturb.^[3][1] The perfect scidi is found from post-Augustan times.^[3] Its compound rescindere “to cancel” gave English rescind in the 1630s.^[7]

Timeline

• c. 235–200 BC – Naevius uses the perfect scicidi.^[3][8]
• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of splitting and of tearing sails.^[3][8]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of tearing up a letter.^[6][5][8]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it of ploughing and of a divided people.^[3][8]
• 1630s – English rescind comes from its compound rescindere.^[7]

Meanings

Verb

1. To split, cleave.^[3][1]
2. To cleave (the ground) in ploughing or mining.^[3]
3. To divide in two, separate.^[3][1]
4. To break in two; to separate into parts.^[3]
5. To tear apart, rend, tear up.^[3][1]
6. (figurative) To divide (a people) into factions; to distract.^[3][1]

Word family

• abscindō
• circumscindō
• cōnscindō
• descindō
• discindō
• exscindō
• interscindō
• perscindō
• prōscindō
• rescindō
• scissilis
• scissim

Related words

• English rescind

Usage notes

Döderlein distinguishes findere, to cleave along the natural grain, from scindere, to break apart by force without regard to it.^[9]

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 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 c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
6. ^ a b Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
8. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
9. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper