transfusio

Forms

trānsfūsiō f (genitive trānsfūsiōnis); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin trānsfundō + -tiō, from the verb meaning “to pour from one vessel into another”.^[2][1] The verb is formed with trāns- on fundō¹ (“to pour”), which goes back to Proto-Italic *χund- and Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰu-n-d- (“to pour”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Cicero (81–43 BC) uses it figuratively in the speech for Scaurus, asking how far a people must have degenerated through so many “transfusions”, that is, transmigrations.^[4][5][6]

Semantic evolution

The literal sense, the pouring of a liquid from one container into another, is found in Pliny the Elder,^[4][5] and Celsus uses it of blood passing into the arteries.^[7][5] In legal language Ulpian defines a novation as the transfer and merging of an earlier debt into a new obligation.^[2][4]

Medieval British writers used it figuratively, for example of customs passing from one people to a neighbouring one.^[8] Italian has it as trasfusione.^[5]

Timeline

• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of the transmigrations of a people.^[4][6]
• 14–37 AD – Celsus uses it of blood passing into the arteries.^[7][5][6]
• 23/24–79 AD – Pliny the Elder uses it of pouring liquids.^[4][5][6]
• before 223 AD – Ulpian uses it of the merging of one debt into another obligation.^[2][6]

Meanings

Noun

1. The pouring of a liquid from one container into another; decanting.^[2][4]
2. The passing of blood into the vessels.^[7][5]
3. (figurative) The transmigration of a people.^[4][5]
4. (law) The merging of one liability into another, as in a novation.^[2][4]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ 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 d e f g h Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d e f g h Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
6. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
7. ^ a b c Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
8. ^ Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press