vado

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈwaː.doː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈvaː.do]^[1]

Forms

vādō (present infinitive vādere, perfect active vāsī, supine vāsum); third conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *wāþe/o-, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *weh₂dʰ- (“to advance”).^[2][1] The noun vadum “ford” is from the same root, and a verb derived from it means “to ford”.^[2][3] Cognate with Old High German watan (“to wade”), Old Norse vaða (“to wade”) and English wade.^[2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Ennius.^[2] Ennius has warriors who seek a kingdom and advance with full force.^[4] Köbler dates Ennius 204–169 BC.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to advance or go, especially with a rapid, violent or purposeful movement, as against an enemy in Livy, and figuratively of glory that takes a steep path.^[4][6] Of things it meant to move or extend, and in the senate pedibus vādere in sententiam was to support a motion by walking over to its side.^[4] It also simply meant to set off, as Cicero says a visitor “leaves tomorrow morning”.^[4]

In spoken Latin it replaced much of eō, and its present forms survive in the verbs for “to go”: French aller (va), Italian andare (va) and Spanish ir (va).^[1] Its compounds invādō and ēvādō gave English invade in the late 15th century and English evade in the 1510s.^[7]

Timeline

• 204–169 BC – Ennius has troops advance with full force.^[4][5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero says a visitor leaves the next morning.^[4][5]
• late 15th century – English invade is recorded.^[7]
• 1510s – English evade is recorded.^[7]

Meanings

Verb

1. To advance, go (with purpose or force).^[4]
2. (of things) To move, extend.^[4]
3. pedibus vādere in sententiam, to vote for a motion by moving to its side.^[4]
4. To set off, depart.^[4]

Related words

• vadum
• English wade
• English invade
• English evade

Usage notes

It has no proper perfect, vāsī is found only late, in Tertullian.^[3]

References

1. ^ a b c d e 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 Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
7. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com