subruo

Forms

subruō (present infinitive subruere, perfect active subruī, supine subrutum); third conjugation^[1] It is also spelled surruō.^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin sub- (“under”) + ruō (“to fall, cast down”).^[2][1] De Vaan separates ruō (“to rush, fall”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reu-e/o- (“to run, hurry”), from ruō (“to dig”), from Proto-Indo-European *(H)reuH-e/o-, and notes that their derivatives became mixed up in Latin.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest examples are in Lucretius, of age hollowing out great caves underground, and Caesar, of attackers setting fire to the gates and undermining the wall.^[2]

Semantic evolution

It is to weaken something by digging under it, to undermine, as of besiegers and of natural forces;^[2] Vitruvius uses it of sand washed out by waves.^[2] Horace uses it figuratively, of a man who undermined rival kings with gifts.^[2] Church Latin glosses it to destroy or overthrow.^[4]

Timeline

• 96–55 BC – Lucretius of caves hollowed out by age.^[2][5]
• c. 50 BC – Caesar of undermining a town wall.^[2][5]
• 65–8 BC – Horace of undermining rivals with bribes.^[2][5]

Meanings

Verb

1. To undermine, weaken at the base by digging; to dislodge from beneath.^[2]
2. Figuratively, to destroy insidiously, subvert; to overthrow.^[2][4]

Word family

• subrutor

References

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