temno

Latin

Etymology

Disputed.

• Rix lists the term as a derivative of Proto-Indo-European *tm̥-ne-h₁-ti, a nasal-infix from *temh₁- (“to cut”).
• De Vaan argues that temnō is likely a back-formation from contemnō, as contemnō has much older attestations than temnō. De Vaan agrees, however, that the ending -temnere most likely derives from a nasal-infix of the root *temh₁- (“to cut”). Though, De Vaan suggests that it could also be explained from *stemb- (“shake violently”).
• The linguist Gerhard Meiser has suggested that the perfect form -tempsī emerged via the contamination of a possible s-aorist belonging to the root *stemb-. However, the form could have emerged without any such influence, as perfect stems marked by *-psī emerged in many Latin verbs ending with a labial stop.

See also Latin tondeō, tempus, templum, Ancient Greek τέμνω (témnō).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈtɛm.noː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈt̪ɛm.no]

Verb

temnō (present infinitive temnere, perfect active tempsī or temsī, supine temptum or temtum); third conjugation

1. to despise, scorn, defy, treat with contempt, be disdainful, slight
   • 29 BCE – 19 BCE, Virgil, Aeneid 1.542–543:

     “Sī genus hūmānum et mortālia temnitis arma,
     at spērāte deōs memorēs fandī atque nefandī.”

     “If you despise the human race and mortal armor, at least expect the gods [to be] mindful of [those actions] which are speakable and also the abominable [actions; i.e., right and wrong].”

Conjugation

   Conjugation of temnō (third conjugation)

indicative		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	temnō		temnis		temnit		temnimus		temnitis		temnunt
	imperfect	temnēbam		temnēbās		temnēbat		temnēbāmus		temnēbātis		temnēbant
	future	temnam		temnēs		temnet		temnēmus		temnētis		temnent
	perfect	tempsī, temsī		tempsistī, temsistī		tempsit, temsit		tempsimus, temsimus		tempsistis, temsistis		tempsērunt, tempsēre, temsērunt, temsēre
	pluperfect	tempseram, temseram		tempserās, temserās		tempserat, temserat		tempserāmus, temserāmus		tempserātis, temserātis		tempserant, temserant
	future perfect	tempserō, temserō		tempseris, temseris		tempserit, temserit		tempserimus, temserimus		tempseritis, temseritis		tempserint, temserint
passive	present	temnor		temneris, temnere		temnitur		temnimur		temniminī		temnuntur
	imperfect	temnēbar		temnēbāris, temnēbāre		temnēbātur		temnēbāmur		temnēbāminī		temnēbantur
	future	temnar		temnēris, temnēre		temnētur		temnēmur		temnēminī		temnentur
	perfect	temptus or temtus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	temptus or temtus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	temptus or temtus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	temnam		temnās		temnat		temnāmus		temnātis		temnant
	imperfect	temnerem		temnerēs		temneret		temnerēmus		temnerētis		temnerent
	perfect	tempserim, temserim		tempserīs, temserīs		tempserit, temserit		tempserīmus, temserīmus		tempserītis, temserītis		tempserint, temserint
	pluperfect	tempsissem, temsissem		tempsissēs, temsissēs		tempsisset, temsisset		tempsissēmus, temsissēmus		tempsissētis, temsissētis		tempsissent, temsissent
passive	present	temnar		temnāris, temnāre		temnātur		temnāmur		temnāminī		temnantur
	imperfect	temnerer		temnerēris, temnerēre		temnerētur		temnerēmur		temnerēminī		temnerentur
	perfect	temptus or temtus + present active subjunctive of sum
	pluperfect	temptus or temtus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	—		temne		—		—		temnite		—
	future	—		temnitō		temnitō		—		temnitōte		temnuntō
passive	present	—		temnere		—		—		temniminī		—
	future	—		temnitor		temnitor		—		—		temnuntor
non-finite forms		infinitive						participle
		active			passive			active			passive
present		temnere			temnī			temnēns			—
future		temptūrum esse, temtūrum esse			temptum īrī, temtum īrī			temptūrus, temtūrus			temnendus, temnundus
perfect		tempsisse, temsisse			temptum esse, temtum esse			—			temptus, temtus
future perfect		—			temptum fore, temtum fore			—			—
perfect potential		temptūrum fuisse, temtūrum fuisse			—			—			—
verbal nouns		gerund								supine
		genitive		dative		accusative		ablative		accusative		ablative
		temnendī		temnendō		temnendum		temnendō		temptum, temtum		temptū, temtū

Derived terms

• contemnō

References

• “temno”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “temno”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “temno”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• temno in Ramminger, Johann (16 July 2016 (last accessed)), Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700‎, pre-publication website, 2005-2016
• De Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 609-610
• Rix, Helmut, editor (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben [Lexicon of Indo-European Verbs] (in German), 2nd edition, Wiesbaden: Dr. Ludwig Reichert Verlag, →ISBN, page 625
• Pokorny, Julius (1959), Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 3, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 1063
• Sihler, Andrew L. (1995), New Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin, Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 583