decurro

Latin

Etymology

From dē- +‎ currō.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /deːˈkur.roː/, [d̪eːˈkʊrːoː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /deˈkur.ro/, [d̪eˈkurːo]

Verb

dēcurrō (present infinitive dēcurrere, perfect active dēcurrī, supine dēcursum); third conjugation

1. to run, flow, move, sail or swim down

   Synonym: dēscendō

   Antonyms: ascendō, cōnscendō, īnscendō, escendō, ēnītor, scandō, superscandō, subeō

   • 29 BCE – 19 BCE, Virgil, Aeneid 4.152–153:

     [...] ecce ferae, saxī dēiectae vertice, caprae / dēcurrēre iugīs; [...].

     Behold! — wild goats, [which the beaters] had driven from [some] rocky peak, came running down from the ridge-tops, [...].

2. to charge or skirmish
3. to hasten, rush down
   • c. 52 BCE, Julius Caesar, Commentarii de Bello Gallico 2.21:

     Caesar, necessariis rebus imperatis, ad cohortandos milites, quam [in] partem fors obtulit, decucurrit et ad legionem decimam devenit.

     Caesar, having given the necessary orders, hastened to and fro into whatever quarter fortune carried him, to animate the troops, and came to the tenth legion.

4. to exercise or drill (troops)

Conjugation

• Perfect forms dēcucurrī are occasionally found.

   Conjugation of dēcurrō (third conjugation)

indicative		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	dēcurrō		dēcurris		dēcurrit		dēcurrimus		dēcurritis		dēcurrunt
	imperfect	dēcurrēbam		dēcurrēbās		dēcurrēbat		dēcurrēbāmus		dēcurrēbātis		dēcurrēbant
	future	dēcurram		dēcurrēs		dēcurret		dēcurrēmus		dēcurrētis		dēcurrent
	perfect	dēcurrī		dēcurristī		dēcurrit		dēcurrimus		dēcurristis		dēcurrērunt, dēcurrēre
	pluperfect	dēcurreram		dēcurrerās		dēcurrerat		dēcurrerāmus		dēcurrerātis		dēcurrerant
	future perfect	dēcurrerō		dēcurreris		dēcurrerit		dēcurrerimus		dēcurreritis		dēcurrerint
passive	present	dēcurror		dēcurreris, dēcurrere		dēcurritur		dēcurrimur		dēcurriminī		dēcurruntur
	imperfect	dēcurrēbar		dēcurrēbāris, dēcurrēbāre		dēcurrēbātur		dēcurrēbāmur		dēcurrēbāminī		dēcurrēbantur
	future	dēcurrar		dēcurrēris, dēcurrēre		dēcurrētur		dēcurrēmur		dēcurrēminī		dēcurrentur
	perfect	dēcursus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	dēcursus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	dēcursus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	dēcurram		dēcurrās		dēcurrat		dēcurrāmus		dēcurrātis		dēcurrant
	imperfect	dēcurrerem		dēcurrerēs		dēcurreret		dēcurrerēmus		dēcurrerētis		dēcurrerent
	perfect	dēcurrerim		dēcurrerīs		dēcurrerit		dēcurrerīmus		dēcurrerītis		dēcurrerint
	pluperfect	dēcurrissem		dēcurrissēs		dēcurrisset		dēcurrissēmus		dēcurrissētis		dēcurrissent
passive	present	dēcurrar		dēcurrāris, dēcurrāre		dēcurrātur		dēcurrāmur		dēcurrāminī		dēcurrantur
	imperfect	dēcurrerer		dēcurrerēris, dēcurrerēre		dēcurrerētur		dēcurrerēmur		dēcurrerēminī		dēcurrerentur
	perfect	dēcursus + present active subjunctive of sum
	pluperfect	dēcursus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	—		dēcurre		—		—		dēcurrite		—
	future	—		dēcurritō		dēcurritō		—		dēcurritōte		dēcurruntō
passive	present	—		dēcurrere		—		—		dēcurriminī		—
	future	—		dēcurritor		dēcurritor		—		—		dēcurruntor
non-finite forms		infinitive						participle
		active			passive			active			passive
present		dēcurrere			dēcurrī			dēcurrēns			—
future		dēcursūrum esse			dēcursum īrī			dēcursūrus			dēcurrendus, dēcurrundus
perfect		dēcurrisse			dēcursum esse			—			dēcursus
future perfect		—			dēcursum fore			—			—
perfect potential		dēcursūrum fuisse			—			—			—
verbal nouns		gerund								supine
		genitive		dative		accusative		ablative		accusative		ablative
		dēcurrendī		dēcurrendō		dēcurrendum		dēcurrendō		dēcursum		dēcursū

Derived terms

• dēcurrēns
• dēcursiō
• dēcursōrius
• dēcursus

Descendants

• Catalan: decórrer
• Galician: decorrer
• Italian: decorrere
• Portuguese: decorrer
• Spanish: decorrerse

References

• “decurro”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “decurro”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• decurro in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • to run obliquely down the hill: obliquo monte decurrere
    
  • to manœuvre: decurrere (in armis)