Ducentesimum Quartum Decimum Latinum Verbum Diei: June 27, 2010

[Christina Wallin]

Theme for this month: Verbs

decerno, decernere, decrevi, decretus

Definition: to bring (an issue) to a decision, settle, decide;
determine; declare; to make up one's mind (to); to decree, ordain; (of
a member of the senate) to speak or vote in favour of, vote for,
propose

Sententia: Caesar Commentarii de Bello Gallico 4.17

Caesar his de causis quas commemoravi Rhenum transire decreverat: sed
navibus transire neque satis tutum esse arbitrabatur, neque suae neque
populi Romani dignitatis esse statuebat.

On account of these reasons which I have related, Caesar had made up
his mind to cross the Rhine: but he deemed that it was neither safe
enough to cross in ships, nor he considered that it was an action
[worthy] either of his own dignity or that of the Roman people.

Gaius Julius Caesar was a politician and general who lived from 100 to
44 BCE. In addition to these roles, he also documented his campaigns,
writing first Commentarii de Bello Gallico, then Commentarii de Bello
Civili. After this section in De Bello Gallico, Caesar goes onto
describe the construction of a suitable bridge, and his 18 day
campaign in the Germans' territory.

Etymologically, “decerno” comes from the intensifying prefix “de” +
“cerno,” meaning “to perceive.” “Cerno” is a quite productive stem,
as well as a common verb in and of itself, forming other compounds
such as “discerno,” “to differentiate,” “secerno,” “to separate,”and
possibly others.

And also—the “special” part of last week's word, in case you were
interested, is that “vitium” was already featured as the 142nd LVD.
However, anything goes on a birthday, right? ;) Another entirely
unplanned (and undesired) bit of last week's LVD is that the ordinal
was incorrect: it should have been “ducentesimum tertium decimum
verbum,” not “ducentesimum tredecimum verbum.” Please excuse this
error!