tracto

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈtrak.toː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈtrak.to]^[1]

Forms

tractō (present infinitive tractāre, perfect active tractāvī, supine tractātum); first conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is a frequentative of trahō “to draw, drag”, with the suffix -tō.^[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's first citation is Ennius, of dragging about, as Hector dragged by Achilles.^[2][3][4] Köbler dates Ennius 204–169 BC.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to drag about, as in Ennius and Ovid's woman dragged by the hair.^[2][4] It meant to handle, touch, stroke, manipulate materials, as in Cato, and to dress wounds.^[2] It meant to have dealings with someone, to treat someone well or badly, as Plautus' male tractāre “to maltreat”, to work on a person's mind, and to manage affairs.^[2] It meant to carry out a task, of an actor to play a part, as in Cicero, and to spend one's life.^[2] It meant to examine, consider, discuss, and to treat a subject in speech or writing.^[2]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to treat, handle, manage, discuss, transact.^[6] It survives in French traiter, Italian trattare and Spanish tratar.^[1] Through Old French traitier it is the source of English treat about 1300, and English treaty comes from its noun tractātus.^[7]

Timeline

• 204–169 BC – Ennius uses it of dragging.^[2][5]
• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of handling and dealing with.^[2][5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of playing a part and of discussing.^[2][5]
• c. 1300 – English treat is recorded.^[7]

Meanings

Verb

1. To drag about.^[2]
2. To handle, touch; to manipulate.^[2]
3. To have dealings with; to treat.^[2]
4. To manage (affairs).^[2]
5. To perform; to play (a part).^[2]
6. To examine; to discuss.^[2]

Word family

• attrectō
• contrectō
• dētractō
• dētrectō
• intrāctātus
• obtrectō
• pertractō
• praetractō
• retractō
• semitractatus
• tractābilis
• tractātiō

Related words

• trahō
• tractātus
• English treat
• English treaty

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 k l m n o p Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com