uro

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈuː.roː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈuː.ro]^[1]

Forms

ūrō (present infinitive ūrere, perfect active ussī, supine ustum); third conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *ouse/o- (“to burn”), inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₁éws-e/o- (“to burn”).^[2][1] Cognate with Sanskrit ओषति (óṣati, “burns”), Ancient Greek εὕω (heúō, “to singe”), Old Norse ysja (“fire”) and Old English ysle (“hot ashes”).^[2][3] The compound combūrō arose from ambūrō “to burn around”, misdivided as am-būrere.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from the Twelve Tables, which forbid burying or burning a dead man in the city.^[2][3] Köbler dates the Twelve Tables about 450 BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant to destroy by fire, burn, to ravage a district by burning in war, and to burn a body on a pyre.^[3] It also meant to heat or scorch, to cauterize a wound, as Cicero's comparison of cutting and burning a diseased limb, to burn pigments in encaustic painting, and to brand or torture with fire.^[3] Of the sun it meant to scorch, parch or tan, of frost to nip, and of fever or thirst to burn.^[3] Figuratively it meant to inflame with love, as Virgil's mē ūrit amor, to sting with jealousy or grief, as in Terence, and of war or trouble to press painfully on.^[3][5]

English combustion comes from combūrere, recorded in the early 15th century.^[6]

Timeline

• c. 450 BC – The Twelve Tables forbid burning the dead in the city.^[3][4]
• 190–159 BC – Terence uses it of jealousy.^[3][4]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of cauterizing.^[3][4]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it of love.^[3][4]
• early 15th century – English combustion is recorded.^[6]

Meanings

Verb

1. To burn, destroy by fire.^[3]
2. To heat, scorch; to cauterize.^[3]
3. To hurt or torture by burning.^[3]
4. (of the sun) To scorch, parch, tan.^[3]
5. (of fever, thirst) To burn.^[3]
6. To inflame with love.^[3]
7. To sting with resentment or grief.^[3]
8. To chafe, make sore.^[3]

Word family

• adūrō
• ambūrō
• circumustus
• combūrō
• deūrō
• exūrō
• inūrō
• inustus
• obū̆stus
• perūrō
• praeūrō
• sēmiustus

Related words

• bustum
• English combustion

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
6. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com