tango

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈtaŋ.ɡoː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈtaŋ.ɡo]^[1]

Forms

tangō (present infinitive tangere, perfect active tetigī, supine tāctum); third conjugation^[1] Old Latin also has forms without the nasal, such as tago, tagam (Pacuvius) and taxis (Varro).^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *tang-e-, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *th₂-n-g- (“to touch”), a nasal present of the root *teh₂g-.^[3][1] integer “untouched, whole” and contāmināre belong to the same root.^[3][1]

Cognate with Umbrian antakres (“untouched”),^[3] Ancient Greek τεταγών (tetagṓn, “having seized”) and Gothic 𐍄𐌴𐌺𐌰𐌽 (tekan, “to touch”).^[3][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found from Plautus onwards,^[3] who says of grasping men that they are like octopuses, which “hold on to whatever they touch”.^[2]

Semantic evolution

It meant to touch, and of lands to border on, as Cicero's farms touching the Tiber and Caesar's people bordering the Rhine.^[2] It meant to touch with a substance, to touch harmfully, as Plautus' “if he touches me in anger, he'll get a beating”, and to touch in order to use, as Cato's rule not to touch timber except at certain times.^[2] In comedy it meant to cheat someone out of something.^[2]

It meant to reach a place, as Plautus' “as soon as we touched land”, and of feelings to affect, as Cicero's “this grief touches me”.^[2] It also meant to touch on a subject in speech, and in law to apply to someone.^[2] The saying rem acu tetigisti, “you have touched the thing with a needle”, meant “you have hit the nail on the head”.^[1] Music theory used it for stopping or striking a string and playing a keyboard.^[5] It survives as Italian tangere, Spanish tañer and Portuguese tanger.^[1] English tangible comes from Late Latin tangibilis.^[6]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it for touching and for reaching land.^[2][7]
• 220–130 BC – Pacuvius uses the old form tagit.^[4][7]
• 234–149 BC – Cato uses it for touching timber.^[2][7]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it for bordering and for being moved.^[2][7]
• 1580s – English tangible is first recorded.^[6]

Meanings

Verb

1. To touch.^[2][4]
2. To border on.^[2]
3. To smear, touch (with a substance).^[2]
4. To touch (so as to harm); to strike.^[2][1]
5. To touch (in order to use).^[2]
6. (colloquial) To cheat (of).^[2][1]
7. To reach, arrive at.^[2][1]
8. To affect, move.^[2][1]
9. To touch on, mention.^[2]
10. (law) To apply to.^[2]

Word family

• attingō
• contingō
• intāctus
• pertango
• praetango
• retango
• semitactus
• tāctilis
• tāctiō
• tāctus
• tagāx
• tangibilis

Related words

• contāminō
• integer
• taxō
• English tangible
• English tact
• English contact

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f 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 c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ Lexicon musicum Latinum medii aevi (1992–), Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften; online ed. Wörterbuchnetz
6. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de