Etymologically
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subito

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ˈsʊ.bɪ.toː][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [ˈsuː.bi.to][1]

Forms

subitō (not comparable)[1]

Etymology

It is formed from subitus (“sudden”) with the adverb ending ⟨-ō⟩.[2] subitus is the past participle of subeō (“to come up, approach”);[3][4] Wiktionary explains the sense through “coming up closely, stealing up”.[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler dates it from Plautus,[4] who has ut subitō, ut prope, ut validē tonuit!, “how suddenly, how near, how loud the thunder was!”.[2]

Semantic evolution

Subitō is “suddenly, unexpectedly”, and “at short notice, quickly, in no time”, as in Plautus' licēbit quamvīs subitō sūmere, “you can take the gold as soon as you like”.[2][1]

Church Latin glosses it “suddenly, unexpectedly”.[5]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus: ut subitō, ut prope, ut validē tonuit!.[2][4]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. suddenly, unexpectedly.[2][1][5]
  2. At short notice, quickly.[2]

Word family

  • subitātiō

Usage notes

Church Latin also has a first-conjugation verb subitō, “to apply, supply”.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b c Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson