LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
verbsecond conjugation

tergeō

tergeō (present infinitive tergēre, perfect active tersī, supine tersum)
Classical[ˈtɛr.ɡe.oː]Ecclesiastical[ˈtɛr.d͡ʒe.o]

Meaning

  1. transitiveto rub, wipe, wipe off, clean, cleanse
  2. transitiveto polish, burnish
  3. transitiveto tickle, whet
  4. figurativelytransitiveto molest, harass
  5. figurativelytransitiveto expiate the murder

Conjugation conjugation 2

active indicative
formpresentimperfectfutureperfectpluperfectfut. perfect
1st sg.tergeōtergēbamtergēbōtersīterseramterserō
2nd sg.tergēstergēbāstergēbistersistīterserāsterseris
3rd sg.tergettergēbattergēbittersitterseratterserit
1st pl.tergēmustergēbāmustergēbimustersimusterserāmusterserimus
2nd pl.tergētistergēbātistergēbitistersististerserātisterseritis
3rd pl.tergenttergēbanttergēbunttersērunt
tersēre		terserantterserint
active subjunctive
active subjunctive
formpresentimperfectperfectpluperfect
1st sg.tergeamtergēremterserimtersissem
2nd sg.tergeāstergērēsterserīstersissēs
3rd sg.tergeattergēretterserittersisset
1st pl.tergeāmustergērēmusterserīmustersissēmus
2nd pl.tergeātistergērētisterserītistersissētis
3rd pl.tergeanttergērentterserinttersissent
passive indicative
passive indicative
formpresentimperfectfuture
1st sg.tergeortergēbartergēbor
2nd sg.tergēris
tergēre		tergēbāris
tergēbāre		tergēberis
tergēbere
3rd sg.tergēturtergēbāturtergēbitur
1st pl.tergēmurtergēbāmurtergēbimur
2nd pl.tergēminītergēbāminītergēbiminī
3rd pl.tergenturtergēbanturtergēbuntur
passive subjunctive
passive subjunctive
formpresentimperfect
1st sg.tergeartergērer
2nd sg.tergeāris
tergeāre		tergērēris
tergērēre
3rd sg.tergeāturtergērētur
1st pl.tergeāmurtergērēmur
2nd pl.tergeāminītergērēminī
3rd pl.tergeanturtergērentur
imperative
imperative
formactivepassive
pres. 2nd sg.tergētergēre
pres. 2nd pl.tergētetergēminī
fut. 2nd sg.tergētōtergētor
fut. 3rd sg.tergētōtergētor
fut. 2nd pl.tergētōte—
fut. 3rd pl.tergentōtergentor
infinitives & participles
infinitives & participles
formactivepassive
present infinitivetergēretergērī
perfect infinitivetersissetersum esse
future infinitivetersūrum essetersum īrī
present participletergēns—
perfect participle—tersus
future participletersūrus
tersūra, tersūrā, tersūrae, tersūram, tersūrārum, tersūrās, tersūre, tersūrī, tersūrīs, tersūrō, tersūrōrum, tersūrōs, tersūrum		tergendus
tergenda, tergendā, tergendae, tergendam, tergendārum, tergendās, tergende, tergendīs, tergendōrum, tergendōs
gerundtergendī, tergendō, tergendumsupinetersum, tersū

tergeo or less freq. tergo, si, sum, 2 or 3 (v. Neue, Formenl. 2, 423 sq.;
I. part. perf. tertus, Varr. ap. Non. 179, 7 and 8), v. a. for stergo; akin to stringo; Gr. στραγγεύω, to twist, to rub off, wipe off, wipe dry, wipe clean, cleanse.
I. Lit. (class.; syn. verro): numquam concessavimus Lavari aut fricari aut tergeri aut ornari, Plaut. Poen. 1, 2, 10: mantelium, ubi manus terguntur, Varr L. L. 6, § 85 Müll.; so, frontem sudario, Quint. 6, 3, 60: nares in adversum, id. 11, 3, 121: fossas, to dry, Cato, R. R. 2, 4; Col. 2, 21, 3: aequatam (mensam) mentae tersere virentes, Ov. M. 8, 663: pars leves clipeos et spicula lucida tergent, rub off, polish, burnish, Verg. A. 7, 626: arma, Liv. 26, 51, 4: leve argentum, vasa aspera, Juv. 14, 62: manuque simul velut lacrimantia tersit Lumina, Ov. M. 13, 132: oculos pedibus, Plin. 11, 48, 108, § 258. — Poet.: aridus unde aures terget sonus ille, grates upon, Lucr. 6, 119: nubila caeli (Aurora), to scatter, Sil. 16, 136: tergere palatum, to tickle the palate, Hor. S. 2, 2, 24. — Absol.: qui tractant ista, qui tergunt, qui ungunt, qui verrunt, * Cic. Par. 5, 2, 37: si QVIS TERGERE ORNARE REFICERR VOLET (sc. aram), Inscr. Orell. 2489.—
II. Trop. (very rare): librum, i. e. to improve, amend, Mart. 6, 1, 3: scelus, to expiate, Sen. Herc. Oet. 907.—Hence, tersus, a, um, P. a., wiped off, i. e. clean, neat (not in Cic.).
A. Lit.: (mulier) lauta, tersa, ornata, etc., Plaut. Stich. 5, 5, 4; cf id. Pa. 1, 2, 31; cf.: alii sunt circumtonsi et tersi atque unctuli, Varr. ap Non. 179, 8: plantae, Ov. M. 2, 736: tersum diem pro sereno dictum ab antiquis, Fest. p. 363 Müll. —
B. Trop., pure, correct, nice, neat, terse: judicium acre tersumque. Quint. 12, 10, 20: tersum ac limatum esse oportet quod libris dedicatur, id. 12, 10, 50: elegiae tersus atque elegans auctor, id. 10, 1, 93; of in comp.: multo est tersior ac purus magis (Horatius), id. 10, 1, 94: opus tersum, molle, jucundum, Plin. Ep. 9, 22, 2; so, praefationes tersae, graciles, dulces, id. ib. 2, 3, 1.—Sup.: vir in judicio litterarum tersissimus, Stat. S. 2 praef.—No adv.

Origins

Uncertain. Within Italic, the term may connect to Latin mantēle and Umbrian 𐌌𐌀𐌍𐌕𐌓𐌀𐌊𐌋𐌖 (mantraklu). It perhaps further derives from Proto-Indo-European *(s)terǵʰ- (“crush”), whence possibly Sanskrit तृह् (tṛh, “to crush, bruise”). However, the LIV alternatively takes tergō as the original form, though De Vaan notes that the variant tergeō was much more common even in compounds. Regardless, the LIV tentatively derives tergō from a simple thematic present of a Proto-Indo-European root of the shape *terg- or *terǵ-.

In English words that came into English from tergeō

  • tersetersus
  • detergentdētergēns
  • abstergentabstergens
  • abstersiveabstersus
  • detergedētergēre
  • abstersionabstertion
  • abstergeabstergeō
  • manutergemanutergium
  • manutergiummanutergium
  • mandylionmantelium
  • mandilmantēlium

Quick answers

What does tergeō mean in Latin?
tergeō, a verb, means “to rub, wipe, wipe off, clean, cleanse; to polish, burnish; to tickle, whet”.
What are the principal parts of tergeō?
tergeō, tergēre, tersī, tersum (second conjugation).
How do you pronounce tergeō?
In classical Latin, [ˈtɛr.ɡe.oː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈtɛr.d͡ʒe.o].
Which English words come from tergeō?
English words that go back to Latin tergeō include terse, detergent, abstergent, abstersive, deterge and absterge.