tergeo

Latin

Alternative forms

• tergō

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *terg-, of uncertain further origin. Possibly from Proto-Indo-European *(s)terģʰ- (“crush”), whence Sanskrit तृह् (tṛh, “to crush, bruise”). Alternative theories take the Italic root as an extension of *terh₁- (“to rub”) (whence terō).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈter.ɡe.oː/, [ˈt̪ɛrɡeoː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈter.d͡ʒe.o/, [ˈt̪ɛrd͡ʒeo]

Verb

tergeō (present infinitive tergēre, perfect active tersī, supine tersum); second conjugation

1. (transitive) to rub, wipe, wipe off, clean, cleanse

   Synonyms: abstergeō, pūrgō, luō, putō, effingō

   Antonyms: inquinō, polluō, maculō, scelerō, contingō

2. (transitive) to polish, burnish
3. (transitive) to tickle, whet
4. (figuratively, transitive) to molest, harass
5. (figuratively, transitive) to expiate the murder

Conjugation

• In surviving Classical sources, the passive voice is limited to the third-person forms.

Conjugation of tergeō (second conjugation)
indicative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	tergeō	tergēs	terget	tergēmus	tergētis	tergent
	imperfect	tergēbam	tergēbās	tergēbat	tergēbāmus	tergēbātis	tergēbant
	future	tergēbō	tergēbis	tergēbit	tergēbimus	tergēbitis	tergēbunt
	perfect	tersī	tersistī	tersit	tersimus	tersistis	tersērunt, tersēre
	pluperfect	terseram	terserās	terserat	terserāmus	terserātis	terserant
	future perfect	terserō	terseris	terserit	terserimus	terseritis	terserint
passive	present	tergeor	tergēris, tergēre	tergētur	tergēmur	tergēminī	tergentur
	imperfect	tergēbar	tergēbāris, tergēbāre	tergēbātur	tergēbāmur	tergēbāminī	tergēbantur
	future	tergēbor	tergēberis, tergēbere	tergēbitur	tergēbimur	tergēbiminī	tergēbuntur
	perfect	tersus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	tersus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	tersus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	tergeam	tergeās	tergeat	tergeāmus	tergeātis	tergeant
	imperfect	tergērem	tergērēs	tergēret	tergērēmus	tergērētis	tergērent
	perfect	terserim	terserīs	terserit	terserīmus	terserītis	terserint
	pluperfect	tersissem	tersissēs	tersisset	tersissēmus	tersissētis	tersissent
passive	present	tergear	tergeāris, tergeāre	tergeātur	tergeāmur	tergeāminī	tergeantur
	imperfect	tergērer	tergērēris, tergērēre	tergērētur	tergērēmur	tergērēminī	tergērentur
	perfect	tersus + present active subjunctive of sum
	pluperfect	tersus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	—	tergē	—	—	tergēte	—
	future	—	tergētō	tergētō	—	tergētōte	tergentō
passive	present	—	tergēre	—	—	tergēminī	—
	future	—	tergētor	tergētor	—	—	tergentor
non-finite forms		active			passive
		present	perfect	future	present	perfect	future
infinitives		tergēre	tersisse	tersūrum esse	tergērī	tersum esse	tersum īrī
participles		tergēns	—	tersūrus	—	tersus	tergendus
verbal nouns		gerund				supine
		genitive	dative	accusative	ablative	accusative	ablative
		tergendī	tergendō	tergendum	tergendō	tersum	tersū

Derived terms

• abstergeō
• circumtergeō
• dētergeō
• extergeō
• mantēle/mantēlium
• manutergium
• pertergeō
• retergeō
• tersus

Descendants

• ⇒ English: detergent
• Old French: terdre
  • French: terdre (dialectal)
• Spanish: terger
• Romanian: șterge

References

• “tergeo”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• tergeo in Enrico Olivetti, editor (2003-2024), Dizionario Latino, Olivetti Media Communication
• “tergeo”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• tergeo in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Pokorny, Julius (1959) Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 3, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 1071