dimitto

Latin

Etymology

From dis- +‎ mittere (“to send”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /diːˈmit.toː/, [d̪iːˈmɪt̪ːoː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /diˈmit.to/, [d̪iˈmit̪ːo]

Verb

dīmittō (present infinitive dīmittere, perfect active dīmīsī, supine dīmissum); third conjugation

1. to send away, send forth, send off, dismiss, let go
   • 29 BCE – 19 BCE, Virgil, Aeneid 1.569–571:

     “Seu vōs Hesperiam magnam Sāturniaque arva,
     sīve Erycīs fīnīs rēgemque optātis Acestēn,
     auxiliō tūtōs dīmittam, opibusque iuvābō.”

     “Whatever your choices – great Hesperia and the fields of Saturn, or the land of Eryx and King Acestes – I shall send [you] forth with protective escorts, and help with supplies.” – Queen Dido

2. to renounce, give up, abandon, forego, forsake

   Synonyms: dēserō, dēstituō, cēdō, dēcēdō, concēdō, dēdō, abiciō, prōdō, dēspondeō

   • 405 CE, Jerome, Vulgate Proverbs.1.8:

     audī fīlī mī disciplīnam patris tuī et nē dīmittās lēgem mātris tuae

     My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother. (Douay-Rheims trans., Challoner rev.; 1752 CE)

3. to pardon, forgive, condone

   Synonyms: ignōscō, parcō, remittō, āmittō, dōnō, perdōnō, condōnō

Conjugation

   Conjugation of dīmittō (third conjugation)

indicative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	dīmittō	dīmittis	dīmittit	dīmittimus	dīmittitis	dīmittunt
	imperfect	dīmittēbam	dīmittēbās	dīmittēbat	dīmittēbāmus	dīmittēbātis	dīmittēbant
	future	dīmittam	dīmittēs	dīmittet	dīmittēmus	dīmittētis	dīmittent
	perfect	dīmīsī	dīmīsistī	dīmīsit	dīmīsimus	dīmīsistis	dīmīsērunt, dīmīsēre
	pluperfect	dīmīseram	dīmīserās	dīmīserat	dīmīserāmus	dīmīserātis	dīmīserant
	future perfect	dīmīserō	dīmīseris	dīmīserit	dīmīserimus	dīmīseritis	dīmīserint
passive	present	dīmittor	dīmitteris, dīmittere	dīmittitur	dīmittimur	dīmittiminī	dīmittuntur
	imperfect	dīmittēbar	dīmittēbāris, dīmittēbāre	dīmittēbātur	dīmittēbāmur	dīmittēbāminī	dīmittēbantur
	future	dīmittar	dīmittēris, dīmittēre	dīmittētur	dīmittēmur	dīmittēminī	dīmittentur
	perfect	dīmissus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	dīmissus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	dīmissus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	dīmittam	dīmittās	dīmittat	dīmittāmus	dīmittātis	dīmittant
	imperfect	dīmitterem	dīmitterēs	dīmitteret	dīmitterēmus	dīmitterētis	dīmitterent
	perfect	dīmīserim	dīmīserīs	dīmīserit	dīmīserīmus	dīmīserītis	dīmīserint
	pluperfect	dīmīsissem	dīmīsissēs	dīmīsisset	dīmīsissēmus	dīmīsissētis	dīmīsissent
passive	present	dīmittar	dīmittāris, dīmittāre	dīmittātur	dīmittāmur	dīmittāminī	dīmittantur
	imperfect	dīmitterer	dīmitterēris, dīmitterēre	dīmitterētur	dīmitterēmur	dīmitterēminī	dīmitterentur
	perfect	dīmissus + present active subjunctive of sum
	pluperfect	dīmissus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	—	dīmitte	—	—	dīmittite	—
	future	—	dīmittitō	dīmittitō	—	dīmittitōte	dīmittuntō
passive	present	—	dīmittere	—	—	dīmittiminī	—
	future	—	dīmittitor	dīmittitor	—	—	dīmittuntor
non-finite forms		active			passive
		present	perfect	future	present	perfect	future
infinitives		dīmittere	dīmīsisse	dīmissūrum esse	dīmittī	dīmissum esse	dīmissum īrī
participles		dīmittēns	—	dīmissūrus	—	dīmissus	dīmittendus, dīmittundus
verbal nouns		gerund				supine
		genitive	dative	accusative	ablative	accusative	ablative
		dīmittendī	dīmittendō	dīmittendum	dīmittendō	dīmissum	dīmissū

Related terms

• mittō

Descendants

• Catalan: dimitir, demetre
• English: dismiss
• French: démettre
• Italian: dimettere
• Portuguese: demitir
• Piedmontese: dimëtte
• Spanish: dimitir

References

• “dimitto”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “dimitto”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• dimitto in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • to let go from one's hands: e manibus dimittere
    
  • to lose, let slip an opportunity: occasionem praetermittere, amittere (through carelessness), omittere (deliberately), dimittere (through indifference)
    
  • to let success slip through one's fingers: fortunam ex manibus dimittere
    
  • to fix the day for, to hold, to dismiss a meeting: concilium indicere, habere, dimittere
    
  • to dismiss the senate: dimittere senatum
    
  • to let a person go scot-free: impunitum aliquem dimittere
    
  • to disband an army: dimittere exercitum
    
  • to not let the enemy escape: hostem e manibus non dimittere
    
  • to let the enemy escape: dimittere e manibus hostes
    
  • to let a sure victory slip through one's hands: victoriam exploratam dimittere