-ō¹

Meaning

1. morphemesuffixed to nouns or adjectives. Originally a-stem nouns. Later extended to nouns with other stems. Forms regular first-conjugation verbs
   cūra + -ō → cūrō
   dōnum + -ō → dōnō

Origins

From Proto-Italic *-āō, from denominative verbs with *-eh₂-yé-ti, in which the first person singular ends in *-eh₂-yóh₂ > intermediate phase **-ājō with accent shift > Proto-Italic *-āō (e.g., laudō, dōnō, pugnō, cūrō). Cognates of the whole first conjugation in the present in Latin and Proto-Italic include Proto-Germanic *-ōną (referring to the whole conjugation in which the infinitive is *-ōną), Ancient Greek -άω (-áō, contracted verb), -अयति (-ayati) (for the causative in Sanskrit), Proto-Celtic *-āti and Proto-Balto-Slavic *-ā́ˀtei (whence the infinite Proto-Slavic *-ati, referring again to the whole conjugation). Etymologically, this denominative suffix was not used to form all first-conjugation verbs. It can be distinguished in origin from the following types that happened to fall together with it phonetically: * Verbs from roots in *-h₁- (e.g. flō). * Verbs from roots in *-h₂- (e.g. for, nō, hiō, domō, iuvō). * Verbs from roots in *-h₃- (e.g. dō, lavō, arō). * In one exceptional case, by sound laws acting on *-h₂ + stative suffix *-éh₁-ye-ti, whence *-h₂-éh₁-ye-ti. This case is the verb stō: *sth₂-éh₁-ye-ti > *staēō > stō).

Meaning

1. morphemeforms nouns, often colloquial or pejorative, designating a type of person.
   cōci- + -ō → cōciō m (“broker”)
   centuria (“century”) + -ō → centuriō m (“centurion”)
2. morphemeattached to verb stems, forms agent nouns
   combibere (“to drink together”) + -ō → combibō m (“drinking buddy”)
   vāpulāre (“to get beaten”) + -ō → vāpulō m (“who gets frequently flogged”)
3. morphemeattached to noun stems, forms nicknames meaning "one who has a prominent (or overly large)"
   caput (“head”) + -ō → capitō m (“one who has a (too) large head”)
4. morphemeattached to noun stems, forms nouns meaning "dealer in" or "worker in"
   linteum (“linen”) + -ō → linteō m (“one who deals in or works with linen”)
   restis (“rope”) + -ō → restiō m (“one who makes or sells rope”)
5. morphemealso forms names, especially cognomina.
   aquila (“eagle”) + -ō → Aquilō (“the North wind”)
   incubāre (“to lie on top”) + -ō → Incubō (“a spirit that watches over buried treasures”)
6. Late Latinmorphemealso added as an ending to some inanimate nouns.
   cōleus (“testicle”) + -ō → cōleō m (“testicle”)

Origins

From Proto-Indo-European *-ō, *-on-, perhaps (controversially) merged with "Hoffmann's suffix" *-h₃ō, *-h₃onh₂-; in Latin, the vowel length of nominative ō was made common to all cases. Etymologically, it forms part of the abstract noun suffixes -iō f, -tiō f. Non-abstract nouns ending in the suffix -ō, -ōnis are typically masculine.

Meaning

1. morphemerareUsed as an ending of a few nouns derived from verbs
   prōpāgō (“to propagate”) + -ō, -inis → prōpāgō, prōpāginis f (“offspring”)
   compingō (“to attach, bind”) + -ō, -inis → compāgō, compāginis f (“fastening”)

Origins

From a Proto-Indo-European n-stem suffix (or suffixes), as in Etymology 1, but without leveling of the vowel length alternations from ablaut. The ending -ō, -inis, with short -i- in the oblique stem because of ablaut, is not a productive suffix by itself in historical Latin. However, it appears as the final component of various productive feminine noun suffixes: -āgō f, -īgō f, -ūgō f, -tūdō f, -ēdō f (e.g. dulcēdō, dulcēdinis f). There are also a handful of nouns where -ō, -inis is directly attached to a verbal root. Finally, -ō, -inis appears as an ending in some nouns, masculine and feminine, that effectively function as simple, underived words in Latin: e.g. margō, marginis m or f; virgō, virginis f; cardō, cardinis m. It is usually preceded by either the consonant -d- or -g-.

Meaning

1. morphemeforms adverbs
   prīmus + -ō → prīmō
   tūtus + -ō → tūtō

Origins

From Proto-Italic *-ōd, an ablative suffix, derived from Proto-Indo-European *-éad.

Meaning

1. morphemesuffixed to third-conjugation verbs in composition, forms regular first-conjugation verbs
   com- + pellō (pres. act. inf.: pellere) + -ō → compellō (pres. act. inf.: compellāre)
   prō- + flīgō (pres. act. inf.: flīgere) + -ō → prōflīgō (pres. act. inf.: prōflīgāre)

Origins

Some third-conjugation verbs show a shift to the first declension in composition, such as pellō, pellere vs. -pellō, -pellāre (in compellō, compellāre and interpellō, interpellāre) or sternō, sternere vs. cōnsternō, cōnsternāre. Schrijver (1991) derives the simplex third-conjugation versions from nasal presents in *-n-H-ti of the type *tl-n-h₂-ti > *tl̥năti > tollit (arguing that Proto-Indo-European present forms in *-né-H-ti, showing the full grade of the suffix, were replaced by paradigmatic leveling) and proposes that the compounds were derived by addition of the thematic suffix *-ye-/-yo- to *-nă-, forming *-năye-/-năyo-. In this case, the Proto-Italic form would be *-aō. Traditionally, these compound verbs in -āre were explained as "intensive" forms alongside cases like occupō, occupāre, but Schrijver argues that the latter are clearly denominative while the former are clearly not.

Meaning

1. morphemeending of most third conjugation verbs

Origins

From Proto-Italic *-ō, from at least two sources: # Proto-Indo-European thematic *-e-ti in which the first person singular ends in *-oh₂ (e.g., agō < *h₂éǵeti; coquō < *pékʷeti; discō < *di-dḱ-ské-ti) # Proto-Indo-European athematic *-ti, in which the first person singular ends in *-mi (e.g., dūcō < *déwkti; edō < *h₁édti; linquō < *linékʷti)

Meaning

1. morphemeform feminine equivalents of given names of central Dalmatia
   Aplis m + -o → Aplo f
   Baezus m + -o → Baezo f

Origins

Borrowed from Paleo-Balkan. Compare Albanian -ónjë, Aromanian -oanje, -oanji, -onje and Romanian -oaie, all forming feminine equivalent of nouns.

Meaning

1. morphemescribal abbreviation of -orum
   Hic Merouingo℞ regno finito, Carolingo℞ […]1515, Ottonis Phrisingensis Episcopi, folio 60r: