urgeo

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈʊr.ɡe.oː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈur.d͡ʒe.o]^[1]

Forms

urgeō (present infinitive urgēre, perfect active ursī); second conjugation, no supine stem^[1] The spelling urgueō is frequent after Augustus; the perfect ursī is rare and there is no participle.^[2][3]

Etymology

Its origin is disputed.^[1] De Vaan, following Schrijver, derives it from Proto-Italic *worg-eje/o-, from Proto-Indo-European *u(o)rǵʰ-eie-, from a root meaning “to tie, bind”, which is also behind Lithuanian ver̃žti (“to string, tighten, squeeze”), Old High German wurgen (“to strangle”) and Old Norse virgill (“noose”).^[4][2][1][5] He argues that the oldest uses, in Plautus, mean “to weigh down on”, from which “to insist” and “to impel” follow easily.^[4] The LIV instead puts it under a root meaning “to follow a track”, through “to hunt down”, a shift de Vaan finds far-fetched.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan's first attestation is Plautus, and the OLD's earliest citation for weighing down is from Plautus.^[4][2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[6]

Semantic evolution

It meant to press down with a weight, as in Plautus, and in Cicero to press, squeeze, crowd.^[2] In Lucretius it meant to push, thrust, and in Virgil to drive on, impel, and in the passive to push forward.^[2] In Cicero it was used of pains, cares and troublesome people bearing hard on someone, and in Caesar of pressing an enemy hard in battle.^[2] Virgil also used it of pursuit, of hills hemming in a place and of fate threatening.^[2] In Cicero it meant to ply someone with demands or questions, to press an opponent with objections, to insist on a point, and to urge someone to act, and in Plautus circumstances or impulses urged a course.^[2] Cicero also used it of pressing on with work and following up a success.^[2]

It survives in Italian urgere and Spanish and Portuguese urgir.^[1] It gave English urge in the 1550s, and its participle urgēns gave English urgent.^[5]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of weighing down.^[2][6]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of pressing, insisting and urging.^[2][6]
• c. 50 BC – Caesar uses it of pressing an enemy.^[2][6]
• 1550s – English urge is recorded.^[5]

Meanings

Verb

1. To press, squeeze; to weigh down.^[2]
2. To push, thrust; to drive on, impel.^[2]
3. To bear hard on, oppress.^[2]
4. To press hard in attack or pursuit; to beset.^[2]
5. To hem in; to threaten, be imminent.^[2]
6. To ply with demands; to press (an argument); to insist on.^[2]
7. To urge to act; to hurry.^[2]
8. To press on with; to follow up.^[2]

Word family

• adurgeō
• exurgeō
• inurgeō
• perurgeō
• suburgeō
• superurgeō
• urgēns

Related words

• English urge
• English urgent

References

1. ^ a b c d e f 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 q r s t Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c d de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
5. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de