Reconstruction:Latin/torcere

This Latin entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Latin

Etymology

Reassignment of Classical torquēre to the third conjugation.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtɔrkere/

Verb

*torcere (Proto-Romance)

1. to twist

Reconstruction notes

The unrounding of the original (Classical Latin) /kʷ/ presumably started in the new conjugations *torquō (“I twist”) and *torquunt (“they twist”), with the following rounded vowels prompting the regular dissimilation /kʷ/ > /k/. Subsequently, /k/ spread to the other conjugations via analogy.

Derived terms

• *extorcere
• *intorcere
  • Aragonese: entorzer
  • Old French: entordre
  • Romanian: întoarce
  • Venetan: intòrxer, intòrxar

Descendants

• Balkan Romance:
  • Aromanian: torcu, toartsiri
  • Megleno-Romanian: torcu, toarțiri, toarciri
  • Romanian: toarce, toarcere
• Italo-Romance:
  • Italian: torcere
  • Sicilian: tòrciri
• Insular Romance:
  • Sardinian: torchere, torciri, trochere, dorchere
• North Italian:
  • Piedmontese: tòrze
  • Venetan: tòrxer, tòrzer, tòrxar
• Gallo-Romance:
  • Catalan: tòrcer
  • Occitan: tòrcer, torcir
  • Old French: tortre, tuertre, tordre
    • French: tordre
    • Norman: teurtre (Jersey)
• Ibero-Romance:
  • Galician: torcer
  • Portuguese: torcer
  • Spanish: torcer

References

• Grandgent, Charles Hall (1907) An Introduction to Vulgar Latin (Heath's Modern Language Series), D. C. Heath & Company, page 95
• Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002) “tŏrquēre”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, volumes 13: To–Tyrus, page 98