suggredior

Forms

suggredior (present infinitive suggredī, perfect active suggressus sum); third conjugation, deponent^[1][2] It is also spelled subgredior.^[3]

Etymology

It is from Latin sub- + gradior (“to step, walk”).^[1][2] De Vaan traces that verb to Proto-Italic *grad-(e)i- and Proto-Indo-European *g(h)rd(h)-(e)i-; he suggests that the compounds have ⟨-gredior⟩ rather than an expected ⟨-gridior⟩ by analogy with the participle ⟨-gressus⟩.^[4] Cognate with Old Irish in·greinn (“to chase”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The earliest example is in a fragment of Sallust's Histories, of someone who foolishly came up to a camp (stolide castra suggressus).^[5][2]

Semantic evolution

Lewis & Short call it Tacitean.^[3] Tacitus uses it without an object of men drawing closer, such as scouts or barbarians,^[3][2] and of a commander advancing in battle order to attack (acie suggressus).^[3][2]

Timeline

• 86–34 BC – Sallust uses it of coming up to a camp.^[5][2][6]
• 98–115 AD – Tacitus uses it of drawing closer and of advancing to attack.^[3][2][6]

Meanings

Verb

1. To come close up, approach.^[1][3]
2. (with an accusative) To come up to; to attack.^[1][3][2]

Related words

• gradior
• ingredior
• prōgredior

References

1. ^ a b c d Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
3. ^ a b c d e f g Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b 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 Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
6. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de