supplanto

Forms

supplantō (present infinitive supplantāre, perfect active supplantāvī, supine supplantātum); first conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin sub- + planta with the verbal ending ⟨-ō⟩.^[2][3] Wiktionary instead derives it from the verb plantō (“to plant”).^[1] De Vaan traces planta (“sole of the foot”) back to Proto-Italic *plānt-ā- and Proto-Indo-European *pl(e)h₂-nt-h₂- (“the flat one, or the approaching one”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's first record is in Lucilius, where the sense is uncertain;^[2] Nonius, quoting him, explains it as putting one's foot under someone.^[3]

Semantic evolution

Its basic sense was to trip someone up: Cicero says that a runner in the stadium must not trip his rival.^[3][2] Transferred, it meant to take away the supports of something and bring it down: in Vitruvius water let in brings down the props.^[2] In viticulture Columella uses it of laying down a vine without breaking its root, and Pliny the Elder of what makes the grapes drop.^[2][5] Persius uses it of words tripped up on a tender palate.^[6][5]

Church Latin used it for overthrowing and supplanting,^[7] and English supplant (c. 1300) came from Old French or directly from Latin.^[8]

Timeline

• c. 180–102 BC – Lucilius uses it, in an uncertain sense.^[2][9]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of tripping up a rival in a race.^[3][9]
• c. 84–c. 25 BC – Vitruvius uses it of bringing down supports.^[2][9]
• 1st century AD – Columella uses it in viticulture.^[2][9]
• 34–62 AD – Persius uses it of mangled words.^[6][5][9]
• c. 1300 – English borrows it as supplant.^[8]

Meanings

Verb

1. To trip up, cause to stumble.^[2][3]
2. To take away the supports of, bring to the ground, undermine.^[2][5]
3. (viticulture) To lay down a vine; to make grapes drop.^[2][5]
4. (figurative) To trip up or mangle words in speaking.^[6][5]
5. (Ecclesiastical Latin) To overthrow; to supplant.^[7]

Word family

• supplantātiō
• supplantator

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon 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 c d e f Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
6. ^ a b c Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
7. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
9. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de