sero

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈsɛ.roː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈsɛː.ro]^[1]

Forms

serō (present infinitive serere, perfect active sēvī, supine satum); third conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *sise/o- (“to sow”), inherited from Proto-Indo-European *si-sh₁-e/o-, a reduplicated present of the root *seh₁- “to sow”.^[2][1] The reduplicated *sis- became *sir- and then /ser-/, with /i/ lowered before /r/, while the perfect sēvī and the participle satum continue the plain root.^[2] Cognate with Lithuanian sėti (“to sow”), Gothic 𐍃𐌰𐌹𐌰𐌽 (saian, “to sow”) and Old English sāwan (“to sow”).^[2][3] The noun sēmen “seed” is from the same root.^[2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Plautus.^[2] Caecilius has a farmer who plants trees that will profit another generation.^[3] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC and Caecilius 230/220–168 BC.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to plant seeds or seedlings in the ground, and also to sow land with a crop, as Cicero counts the acres sown.^[3] Its past participle satus was used of persons “begotten, born” of a parent, and figuratively it meant to sow the seeds of something, to foment trouble or start a quarrel.^[3][6]

The noun of action satiō “a sowing” became Old French seison “sowing time, right moment” and so English season about 1300.^[4] dissēminō, from sēmen, gave English disseminate about 1600.^[4]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.^[2][5]
• 230/220–168 BC – Caecilius speaks of planting trees for a later generation.^[3][5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero speaks of land sown with a crop.^[3][5]
• c. 1300 – English season is recorded, from satiō through French.^[4]

Meanings

Verb

1. To plant, sow (seeds or seedlings).^[3]
2. To sow (land) with a crop.^[3]
3. (chiefly in the participle satus) To beget, engender, satus, born of.^[3]
4. (figurative) To sow the seeds of, foment, start (a quarrel, rumour).^[3][6]

Word family

• disserō
• obserō
• reserō
• Sēribibī
• omnisatus
• asserō
• circumserō
• cōnserō
• dēserō
• īnserō
• interserō
• perserō

Related words

• sēritās
• sērus
• sors
• sēmen
• English season
• English disseminate

Usage notes

Three other words share the spelling: serō, serere, seruī, sertum “to link, string together”, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *ser-, from which come series and sermō, serō, serāre “to bolt”, from sera “bar”; and the adverb sērō “late, too late”, from sērus.^[2][3]

References

1. ^ a b c d 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. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.