scio

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈski.oː], [ˈski.ɔ]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈʃiː.o]^[1]

Forms

sciō (present infinitive scīre, perfect active scīvī or sciī, supine scītum); fourth conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *skije/o- (“to know”), from Proto-Indo-European *skh₁-i- (“to cut, incise”).^[2][1] De Vaan takes the simple verb to be probably a back-formation from nescīre “not to know”, with a semantic development from “to cut, distinguish, decide” to “to know”.^[2][1] The same present may be continued by Sanskrit छ्यति (-chyáti, “cuts open”), and the root has been connected with that of secāre “to cut”.^[2][3]

Cognate with Ancient Greek σχάω (skháō, “to slit open”);^[2] the OLD compares Ancient Greek σχίζω (skhízō, “to split”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is attested from Naevius onwards.^[2] In Plautus it means to know a fact, as in “I know nothing about the gold”.^[4]

Semantic evolution

The verb meant to know a fact or a thing, to know that something is the case, and to have certain knowledge as opposed to belief.^[4][5] It also meant to know an art or a language and, with an infinitive, to know how to do something.^[4] Comedy is full of idioms built on it, such as scin quid? “do you know what?” and haud scio an “I am inclined to think”, and scito introduced formal announcements.^[4]

Its derivatives include scientia “knowledge”, conscius and the adverb scilicet.^[2] Wiktionary also records a euphemistic sense “to have slept with”.^[1] The verb survived in Romanian ști,^[1] and through nescius and scientia it gave English nice and English science.^[6]

Timeline

• c. 235–200 BC – Naevius uses it.^[2][7]
• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it with many colloquial idioms.^[4][7]
• 234–149 BC – Cato uses scire with an indirect question about watered wine.^[4][7]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses haud scio an in cautious statements.^[4][7]
• c. 35–95/96 AD – Quintilian calls the perfect form scivisse pedantic.^[4][7]

Meanings

Verb

1. To know (a fact, a thing); quod sciam: as far as I know.^[4][8]
2. To know that something is the case.^[4]
3. To know (what, whether); haud scio an: I rather think, perhaps.^[4]
4. To be aware, know of.^[4]
5. To be versed in (an art, a language); with an infinitive, to know how to.^[4]
6. (euphemistic) To have had sexual relations with.^[1]

Word family

• asciō
• cōnsciō
• īnsciēns
• nesciō
• persciens
• praesciō
• resciō
• scibilis
• scientia
• scīlicet
• scīscō
• scītor

Related words

• secō
• English science
• English nice

Usage notes

The negative is normally nescio, and non scio is used only for emphasis.^[4]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
3. ^ Pokorny, Julius (1959), Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Bern; Munich: Francke
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
6. ^ Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
8. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson