immo Latin · revision 17935

+ {{infobox|confidence=uncertain|attested=c. 235–200 BC, Naevius}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA (Classical): [ˈɪm.moː]^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈim.mo]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''immō''' (not comparable)^(Wiktionary)

+ It is also spelled ''imō''.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Stelten 1995)

+ Plautus and Terence sometimes scan it as two short syllables.^(OLD 2012)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The origin is uncertain.^(de Vaan 2008)^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010) An ablative ⟨*īmō⟩ of [[īmus]] “lowest, last” would suit the sense, but not the short first syllable and double ⟨m⟩, unless the negative force of the word caused the doubling, de Vaan asks.^(de Vaan 2008)^(Wiktionary) He also notes that [[hit|imma|t=truly, indeed]] and [[xlu|imma]] look very similar, perhaps from [[ine-pro|*im]] and a form ⟨*moh₂⟩ or ⟨*moh₁⟩, but that a geminate ⟨*-mm-⟩ would not be expected to survive in Latin.^(de Vaan 2008)^(Wiktionary) Others have proposed ⟨*ipsimō⟩, from [[ipse]].^(Wiktionary) Lewis and Short took it as a superlative of [[in]], like [[summus]] and [[prīmus]].^(Lewis & Short 1879)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ De Vaan dates it from Naevius.^(de Vaan 2008) Plautus has ''fēcistī ut tibi … numquam referre grātiam possim satis'' – ''immō potes'', “you have made it impossible for me ever to repay you enough” – “on the contrary, you can”.^(OLD 2012)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ ''Immō'' corrects what has just been said: it denies it outright (“on the contrary, no”), or corrects it by going further (“nay rather, what is more”, often with ''vērō'', ''potius'', ''edepol'' or ''hercle'').^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Wiktionary) It introduces an order to do something different, and in ''immō sī sciās'' “if only you knew” it implies the other person spoke in ignorance.^(OLD 2012) The TLL notes that it is very common in Plautus and Terence.^(TLL)

+

+ Church Latin glosses it “on the contrary”, either “yes indeed” or “no indeed”.^(Stelten 1995)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 235–200 BC – Used by Naevius.^(de Vaan 2008)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * c. 250–184 BC – Plautus: ''immō potes''.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 190–159 BC – Terence uses it often.^(TLL)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 81/79–52/50 BC – Catullus uses it in a pentameter.^(TLL)^(Köbler 2010)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adverb===

+ # On the contrary, no, [[m|en|nay]].^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Wiktionary)^(Stelten 1995)

+ # Nay rather, what is more, indeed.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''immō sī sciās'', if only you knew.^(OLD 2012)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[īmus]]

+ * [[quīn]]

+ * [[vērō]]

+ * [[potius]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}