Etymologically
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tracto

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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

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