Etymologically
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vindico

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈwɪn.dɪ.koː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈvin.di.ko][1]

Forms

vindicō (present infinitive vindicāre, perfect active vindicāvī, supine vindicātum); first conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is from vindex “claimant, defender” with the verb suffix -ō.[1][2] The OLD and Lewis and Short take it as originally a third-conjugation verb from ⟨vim⟩, the accusative of vīs “force”, and dīcō “to say”, compare vindicta.[3][4] The Law of the Twelve Tables has a present ⟨vindicit⟩, and a false derivation from ⟨vēnum dīcō⟩ led to the spelling ⟨vendicō⟩.[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is from the Law of the Twelve Tables, of the action of a vindex.[3]

Semantic evolution

In law it meant to assert one's title to something in another's possession, claim as one's property, as in Cicero, and Gaffiot describes the old procedure in which both parties laid hands on the thing before the praetor.[3][2] It meant to lay claim to, arrogate, to claim territory, to claim to be, and in Quintilian to adopt a form or spelling.[3] In lībertātem vindicāre was to claim a person as free, and figuratively to liberate a people, as in Cicero.[3] It meant to rescue from danger, as in Plautus, to absolve, and in Cato to exact reparation for a wrong, punish, avenge, and to avenge a person.[3]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to claim, avenge.[5] Through Old French vengier it gave English venge about 1300, and its participle gave English vindicate in the 1620s, first meaning “to avenge”.[6] It survives in Spanish vengar and Portuguese vingar.[1]

Timeline

  • c. 450 BC – The Law of the Twelve Tables has vindicit.[3][7]
  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of rescuing.[3][7]
  • 234–149 BC – Cato uses it of punishing.[3][7]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of claiming property and of liberating.[3][7]
  • 1620s – English vindicate is recorded.[6]

Meanings

Verb

  1. (law) To claim as one's property.[3]
  2. To lay claim to, arrogate; to claim to be.[3]
  3. in lībertātem vindicāre, to claim as free; to liberate.[3]
  4. To rescue, free; to absolve.[3]
  5. To punish, avenge; to take revenge.[3]

Word family

  • revindicō
  • vindicātiō
  • vindicātor

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  6. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  7. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de