Etymologically
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sedulo

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Forms

sēdulō (not comparable)[1]

Etymology

It is sē (“apart, without”) with the ablative of dolus (“guile”), originally “without guile”.[2][3][4] De Vaan, following Meiser, traces it to an older ⟨*sē dolōd⟩, with ⟨sē-⟩ from ⟨*sēd-⟩.[3] He reconstructs dolus as Proto-Italic *dolo- (“trick”) and allows an inherited Proto-Indo-European *dolh₁-o- (“pain”) beside the view that it was borrowed from Ancient Greek δόλος (dólos, “bait, trick”).[3] The derivation from sē dolō goes back to Donatus, Servius, Nonius and Isidore;[5] Lewis & Short rejected it and preferred the root of sedeō (“to sit”).[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Plautus has it first, in the Captivi: “you believe nothing that I tell you sincerely”.[2][3][4]

Semantic evolution

Its first sense is sincerely or without guile.[2] It soon came to mean with care, diligently or attentively, as in Plautus' “I will help and defend you diligently”, and earnestly or zealously, as in Terence's “I earnestly denied that it was done”.[2] Lewis & Short call it a favourite word of Plautus and Terence, most often with faciō or operam dare;[5] Livy has it too.[5]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus of speaking sincerely and of helping diligently.[2][4]
  • 190–159 BC – Terence of an earnest denial.[2][4]
  • 59 BC–17 AD – Livy of careful preparations.[5][4]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. Sincerely, without guile.[2]
  2. With painstaking care, diligently, attentively; busily.[2][5][1]
  3. Earnestly, zealously; on purpose.[2][1]

References

  1. ^ a b c 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. ^ 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
  4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b c d e f Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press