succurro

Forms

succurrō (present infinitive succurrere, perfect active succurrī, supine succursum); third conjugation^[1] It is also spelled subcurrō.^[2]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin sub- (“under; up to”) + currō (“to run”).^[3][1] De Vaan traces currō to Proto-Italic *korse/o- (“to run”) and Proto-Indo-European *ḱr̥s-e/o- (“to run”), cognate with Ancient Greek ἐπίκουρος (epíkouros, “helper”), literally “running towards”, and Old Irish carr (“vehicle”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest examples are in Lucretius, who asks why another body could not run under the moon, and in Cicero.^[3]

Semantic evolution

Its literal sense is to run or go under, and of places to stretch to the foot of something.^[3][2] From running up to help it is to hasten to someone's rescue, as Cicero's slaves who were kept from helping their master, and to help those in trouble without any idea of running.^[3] It is used of remedying a disgrace, of circumstances that help (Propertius: your nobility will not help you in love), of legal relief, and of medical aid (Celsus).^[3] Of thoughts it is to come to mind: Cicero says such ideas occurred to him.^[3]

Church Latin glosses it “aid, help, succor, run to the aid of, support”.^[5] Its noun succursus, “help”, gave English succor (c. 1200) through Anglo-French.^[6]

Timeline

• 96–55 BC – Lucretius of a body running under the moon.^[3][7]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero of help and of thoughts that occur.^[3][7]
• 14–37 AD – Celsus of medical aid.^[3][7]
• c. 1200 – English succor, from succursus.^[6]

Meanings

Verb

1. To run under, (of places) to extend to the foot of.^[3][1]
2. To run to the rescue of; to help, succor.^[3][1][5]
3. To remedy; to give medical aid.^[3]
4. (of ideas) To come to mind, occur.^[3][1]

Word family

• succursor
• succursus

Related words

• currō
• occurrō
• concurrō
• English succor

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
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. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
5. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
6. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de