stringo

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈstrɪŋ.ɡoː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈstriŋ.ɡo]^[1]

Forms

stringō (present infinitive stringere, perfect active strīnxī, supine strictum); third conjugation^[1]

Etymology

De Vaan finds two meanings, “to tie, tighten” and “to strip off, bare”, and traces them to two roots: inherited from Proto-Italic *string- (“to strip off”), inherited from Proto-Indo-European *stri-n-g- (“to brush, strip”), and Proto-Italic *strenge/o- “to tie”, from Proto-Indo-European *strengh-e/o- (“to draw, tie”).^[2] The OLD likewise allows a separate origin for the later senses.^[3]

The sense “strip” is cognate with Old Church Slavonic стрищи (strišti, “to cut, shave”), Old High German strīhhan (“to brush”) and Old English strīcan, the sense “tie” with Middle Irish srengim (“I draw, drag”).^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found from Cato onwards.^[2] Cato tells the farmer to strip the olives when they are black.^[3]

Semantic evolution

It meant to bind fast and to draw tight, as Livy's tight knot.^[3] It meant to strip off leaves or fruit, to bare a weapon, as Caesar's soldiers quickly drawing their swords, to graze or scratch, as Virgil's light spear, and to brush or skim past something moving.^[3]

In Plautus a slave is threatened “I'll tie you to the meat-rack”.^[4] Its compounds with the sense “tie” include adstringere, distringere and obstringere.^[2] English strain came from it through Old French around 1300, and strict and stringent come from its participles.^[5]

Timeline

• 234–149 BC – Cato uses it of stripping olives.^[3][6]
• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of tying someone up.^[4][6]
• c. 50 BC – Caesar uses it of drawing swords.^[3][6]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it of a spear grazing a man.^[3][6]
• c. 1300 – English strain is recorded.^[5]
• early 15th century – English strict comes from its participle strictus.^[5]

Meanings

Verb

1. To bind fast, tie.^[3][1]
2. To draw tight, tighten.^[3][1]
3. To strip off, pluck (leaves, fruit).^[3][1]
4. To bare, unsheathe (a sword).^[3][1]
5. To graze, wound slightly.^[3][1]
6. To brush, skim (in passing).^[3]

Word family

• astringō
• circumstringō
• cōnstringō
• dēstringō
• distringō
• īnstringō
• interstringō
• obstringō
• perstringō
• praestringō
• restringō
• strictim

Related words

• astrictē
• astrictiō
• astrictōrius
• astrictus
• constrictē
• constrictiō
• constrictīvus
• constrictō
• constrictūra
• constrictus
• English strain
• English strict
• English stringent

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h 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 Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de