aio Latin · revision 6174

+ {{infobox|confidence=probable|formation=inherited|attested=Naevius|origins=ine-pro *h₁eǵ-}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA (Classical): [ˈaj.joː]^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈaː.jo]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''aiō''' (present infinitive aiere, perfect active ait); third (-iō variant) conjugation, highly defective, no passive, no supine stem, no gerund^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|itc-pro|*agje/o-]], [[inh|ine-pro|*h₁eǵ-ye/o-|t=to say]].^(de Vaan 2008)^(Wiktionary) Cognate with [[grc|ἠμί|tr=ēmí|t=I say]], [[xcl|ասեմ|tr=asem|t=to say]] and [[xto|āks-|t=to proclaim]].^(de Vaan 2008)^(OLD 2012) Greek, Armenian and Tocharian point to a root *h₁ǵ- or *h₂ǵ-, generally kept apart from *h₂eǵ- “to drive”.^(de Vaan 2008) Originally there was only a present; the third person [[m|la|ait]] could be taken as a perfect, whence [[m|la|aistī]].^(de Vaan 2008) De Vaan thinks [[adagium]] “proverb” is unlikely to belong here.^(de Vaan 2008)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ De Vaan dates it from Naevius, where someone is told to say yes or no.^(de Vaan 2008)^(OLD 2012) Köbler dates Naevius c. 235–200 BC.^(Köbler 2010)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ It was a defective verb, used mainly in ''āiō, ais, ait, āiunt'' and the imperfect ''aiēbam''.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879) It meant to say yes, as Terence's ''negat quis: negō; ait: āiō'' and Cicero's Diogenes who says yes while Antipater says no.^(OLD 2012)^(Gaffiot 2016) ''Ain?'' meant “really? you don't say?”, and ''quid ais?'' “what do you say?”.^(OLD 2012) With an object it meant to affirm, assert, and it introduced direct speech, “he said”, or quoted a source, ''ut aiunt'' “as they say”.^(OLD 2012) In law it meant to lay down, as ''ait lēx'' in Ulpian.^(OLD 2012)

+

+ In Medieval Latin ''ait'' remained the common way to introduce speech.^(DMLBS)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 235–200 BC – Naevius uses it.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 190–159 BC – Terence uses it in the sense “to say yes”.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it.^(Gaffiot 2016)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * before 223 AD – Ulpian uses ''ait lēx''.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To say yes.^(OLD 2012)

+ # ''ain?'': really? indeed?^(OLD 2012)

+ # To [[m|en|affirm]], [[m|en|assert]], say.^(OLD 2012)

+ # ''ut ait'': as he says.^(OLD 2012)

+ # ''(introducing speech)'' He said.^(OLD 2012)

+ # ''quid ais?'': what do you say?^(OLD 2012)

+ # ''(of a law)'' To lay down, prescribe.^(OLD 2012)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[adā̆giō]]

+ * [[adā̆gium]]

+ * [[aientia]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[agō]]

+ * [[nego]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}