investigo Latin · revision 6480
16 Oct 2026, 09:46 by bogdan “New Latin entry (sources: de Vaan, OLD, Lewis & Short, TLL...)” current version
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+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=Plautus|origins=la vestīgō}}
+
+ ==Pronunciation==
+ * IPA (Classical): [ɪn.wɛsˈtiː.ɡoː]^(Wiktionary)
+ * IPA (Ecclesiastical): [iɱ.vesˈtiː.ɡo]^(Wiktionary)
+
+ ==Forms==
+ '''investīgō''' (present infinitive investīgāre, perfect active investīgāvī, supine investīgātum); first conjugation^(Wiktionary)
+
+ ==Etymology==
+ It is from [[in-|t=into]] and [[vestīgō]] “to track”.^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary)^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==
+ The OLD's first citations are from Plautus, of searching out persons and things.^(OLD 2012) Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^(Köbler 2010)
+
+ ==Semantic evolution==
+ It meant to find by following a trail, track down game, as in Varro and Cicero's dogs with their incredible gift for tracking, to search out persons or things, and figuratively to search into, investigate, as in Plautus and Cicero.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Gaffiot 2016) Pacuvius has an old genitive plural ''investīgandum''.^(Lewis & Short 1879) Döderlein groups it with [[scrūtor]] and [[indāgō]] as searching with effort, unlike plain [[quaerō]].^(Döderlein 1874)
+
+ In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to search out, trace.^(Stelten 1995) It survives in Old French ''envestier''.^(Wiktionary) [[en|investigate]] came about 1500, and [[en|investigation]] from ''investīgātiō''.^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Timeline==
+ * c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of searching out.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)
+ * 116–27 BC – Varro uses it of tracking game.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)
+ * 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of tracking dogs and of inquiry.^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Gaffiot 2016)^(Köbler 2010)
+ * c. 1500 – English ''investigate'' is recorded.^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Meanings==
+ ===Verb===
+ # To [[m|en|track]] down (game).^(OLD 2012)
+ # To search out.^(OLD 2012)
+ # To [[m|en|investigate]], inquire into.^(OLD 2012)
+
+ ==Word family==
+ * [[investīgātor]]
+
+ ==Related words==
+ * [[vestīgō]]
+ * [[vestīgium]]
+ * [[en|investigate]]
+ * [[en|investigation]]
+
+ ==References==
+ {{reflist}}