profecto Latin · revision 17979

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=compound|attested=c. 250–184 BC, Plautus|origins=la prō, la factum}}

+

+ ==Forms==

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

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is formed from [[m|la|prō|t=for, as]] and [[m|la|factō]], the ablative of [[m|la|factum|t=deed, fact]]: “for a fact”.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Wiktionary)^(Köbler 2010)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Köbler dates it from Plautus,^(Köbler 2010) who has ''certē is est, is est profectō'', “surely it is he, it is he without a doubt”.^(OLD 2012)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ ''Profectō'' is a particle of affirmation, “without question, undoubtedly, assuredly, indeed”;^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Wiktionary) L&S call it very frequent and classical.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Wiktionary) It often follows a conditional or causal clause, “then surely” (Cicero: if he did not think himself eloquent, he surely had a conception of eloquence).^(OLD 2012)

+

+ Church Latin glosses it “really, certainly, truly, in fact, without doubt”.^(Stelten 1995)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 250–184 BC – Plautus: ''is est profectō''.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it after a conditional clause.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adverb===

+ # [[m|en|undoubtedly]], assuredly, certainly, indeed.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Wiktionary)^(Stelten 1995)

+ # Then surely (after a conditional clause).^(OLD 2012)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[factum]]

+ * [[faciō]]

+ * [[certē]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}