stupro

Forms

stuprō (present infinitive stuprāre, perfect active stuprāvī, supine stuprātum); first conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin stuprum (“disgrace, illicit intercourse”) + -ō.^[2][1] The origin of the noun is doubtful: the OLD suggests a connection with stupeō, Ancient Greek τύπτω (túptō, “to strike”) and Old Frisian stūpa (“public flogging”),^[2] Köbler traces it to Proto-Indo-European *steup- (“to push, strike”),^[3] and Walde took its first meaning to have been a dishonouring punishment by flogging.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Plautus uses it in the prologue of the Aulularia: qui illam stupravit noctu, “who violated her at night”.^[5]

Semantic evolution

In Classical Latin it means to have illicit sexual intercourse with someone, to violate their chastity, to debauch or rape.^[2][5][1] By transfer it could mean to defile something by licentious conduct: Cicero, addressing Clodius, speaks of a sacred couch “which you had defiled” (quod stupraras).^[2][5] Tertullian uses it of corrupting morals.^[5] Its derivatives include cōnstuprō, stuprātor and stuprātiō.^[1]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of violating a woman.^[5][3]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of defiling a sacred couch.^[2][5][3]
• c. 160–220 AD – Tertullian uses it of corrupting morals.^[5][3]

Meanings

Verb

1. To have illicit sexual intercourse with, to violate the chastity of; to debauch, rape.^[2][5][1]
2. (transferred) To defile by licentious conduct; to corrupt.^[2][5]

Word family

• cōnstuprō
• stuprātor
• cōnstuprātor

Related words

• stuprum

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
4. ^ Walde, Alois (1906), Lateinisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press