traduco

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [traːˈduː.koː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [traˈduː.ko]^[1]

Forms

trādūcō (present infinitive trādūcere, perfect active trādūxī, supine trāductum); third conjugation, irregular short imperative^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin trans- + duco (“to lead”), also written trānsdūcō.^[2][3] Lewis & Short note that Caesar always uses the full form.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Plautus has a character ask whether a neighbour has been brought over to help, with the short perfect trāduxtī.^[2][4] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to bring or lead across, to make an army cross a river, as Caesar led troops across the Rhine.^[2][6] It also meant to lead past in a parade, especially captives and booty, and so to expose to public ridicule or disgrace.^[2][1] It meant to display, to pass time, to bring someone over to another view, and to transfer a person to another status, as Cicero complains that his enemy was transferred to the plebs.^[2] Grammarians used it of deriving one word from another, as in Gellius.^[2][1] It also meant to translate a word from one language to another.^[1]

English traduce is recorded in the 1530s as “alter, transport”, from the Latin senses “convert” and “make a show of, disgrace”.^[7]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of bringing someone over.^[2][5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of transferring a man to the plebs.^[2][5]
• c. 50 BC – Caesar uses transduco of leading troops across the Rhine.^[6][5]
• c. 165 AD – Gellius uses it of deriving a word.^[2][5]
• 1530s – Borrowed into English as traduce.^[7]

Meanings

Verb

1. To lead, bring or carry across.^[2][4]
2. To lead past in a parade; to expose to ridicule, disgrace.^[2][1]
3. To display, make known.^[2][1]
4. To spend, pass time.^[2][1]
5. To bring over, convert; to transfer to another status.^[2]
6. (grammar) To derive; to translate.^[2][1]

Word family

• trāductiō
• trāductīvus
• trāductor
• traductus
• trādux

Related words

• abdūcō
• addūcō
• circumdūcō
• condūcō
• dēdūcō
• dīdūcō
• dūcō
• ēdūcō
• indūcō
• intrōdūcō
• English traduce

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
4. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com