Etymologically
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vado

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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]
  • 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