tussio

Forms

tussiō (present infinitive tussīre); fourth conjugation, no passive, no perfect or supine stems^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin tussis (“cough”) + -iō (“verb suffix”).^[2][1] The origin of tussis is unclear: de Vaan finds a link with tundō (“to beat”) conceivable in meaning, but its participle ⟨tūsum⟩ would lead one to expect ⟨*tūsis⟩, so the double ⟨ss⟩ would have to be expressive; he also considers a purely imitative word, noting that Proto-Indo-European *kʷeh₂s- (“to cough”) also ends in /s/.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found from Plautus on.^[3] In the Asinaria a contract forbids someone who starts to cough to do it in such a way as to stick out the tongue at anyone.^[4][5]

Semantic evolution

Horace speaks of someone who male tussiet, “has a bad cough”,^[6][5] and Quintilian counts frequent coughing among a speaker's faults.^[6][5] Pliny the Elder uses the participle tussientēs as a noun for people with a cough,^[6] and Caelius Aurelianus the passive participle tussītus of what is coughed up.^[6]

The verb lives on in Italian tossire.^[5]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it in the Asinaria.^[4][7]
• 65–8 BC – Horace writes male tussiet.^[6][7]
• c. 35–95/96 AD – Quintilian criticises speakers who cough often.^[6][7]
• 5th century AD – Caelius Aurelianus has the participle tussītus.^[6][7]

Meanings

Verb

1. To cough, to have a cough or a fit of coughing.^[2][6]

Word family

• extussiō
• subtussio

Usage notes

The present participle tussientēs was used as a noun, “people with a cough”.^[6]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b 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 Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d 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 f g h i Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
7. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de