Latin

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Etymology

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From Proto-Italic *kupiō, from a Proto-Indo-European root akin to *kwep- (to smoke, boil, move violently); see also Lithuanian kūpėti (to boil over), Old Church Slavonic кꙑпѣти (kypěti, to boil), Sanskrit कुप्यति (kúpyati, become agitated, bubbles up), English hope.

Pronunciation

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Verb

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cupiō (present infinitive cupere, perfect active cupīvī or cupiī, supine cupītum); third (-iō variant) conjugation

  1. to desire, long for
    Synonyms: requīrō, affectō, aveō, quaerō, studeō, concupiō, indigeō, petō, sitiō, expetō, circumspiciō, spectō, voveō, appetō
    Antonyms: āversor, abhorreō
    • 161 BCE, Publius Terentius Afer, Eunuchus 812–813:
      Nōvī ingenium mulierum: / nōlunt ubi vēlīs, ubi nolīs cupiunt ultrō.
      I know the ways of women: they are unwilling when you want [it]; [and] when you are unwilling, they desire [it] wantonly.
  2. to please, favor, be well disposed towards (someone, something)
    Quod cupiō mēcum est. Inopem mē cōpia fēcit.
    What I desire is with me: Abundance made me destitute.
    • Cupio omnia quaevis.
      Your wishes are mine.
      (literally, “I favor whatever you want.”)

Conjugation

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1At least one rare poetic syncopated perfect form is attested.

Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • Sardinian: cubere
  • Walloon: keûre
  • Italian: cupere
  • English: cupiosexual

Reflexes of the Late Latin variant cupīre:

Reflexes of the Late Latin variant cupiscere:

References

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Further reading

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  • cupio”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • cupio”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
  • Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894), Latin Phrase-Book[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
    • to be favourably disposed towards: alicuius causa velle or cupere