mordeo

Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *mordeō, from *mordejō, from Proto-Indo-European iterative *(s)mord-éye-ti, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)merd- (“to bite, sting”).

Cognate with Sanskrit मर्दति (márdati, “press, crush, destroy”), म्रदते (mradate, “pulverize”), Ancient Greek σμερδνός (smerdnós, “dreadful”), σμερδαλέος (smerdaléos), English smart.

Pronunciation

(Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈmor.de.oː/, [ˈmɔrd̪eoː]
(modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈmor.de.o/, [ˈmɔrd̪eo]

Verb

mordeō (present infinitive mordēre, perfect active momordī, supine morsum); second conjugation

to bite (into); nibble, gnaw
to nip, sting
to eat, consume, devour, erode
to bite into, take hold of, press or cut into
to hurt, pain, sting
to squander, waste, dissipate

Conjugation

The third principal part, momordī, also appears as memordī.

Conjugation of mordeō (second conjugation)
indicative		singular			plural
indicative		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	mordeō	mordēs	mordet	mordēmus	mordētis	mordent
	imperfect	mordēbam	mordēbās	mordēbat	mordēbāmus	mordēbātis	mordēbant
	future	mordēbō	mordēbis	mordēbit	mordēbimus	mordēbitis	mordēbunt
	perfect	momordī	momordistī	momordit	momordimus	momordistis	momordērunt, momordēre
	pluperfect	momorderam	momorderās	momorderat	momorderāmus	momorderātis	momorderant
	future perfect	momorderō	momorderis	momorderit	momorderimus	momorderitis	momorderint
passive	present	mordeor	mordēris, mordēre	mordētur	mordēmur	mordēminī	mordentur
	imperfect	mordēbar	mordēbāris, mordēbāre	mordēbātur	mordēbāmur	mordēbāminī	mordēbantur
	future	mordēbor	mordēberis, mordēbere	mordēbitur	mordēbimur	mordēbiminī	mordēbuntur
	perfect	morsus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	morsus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	morsus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular			plural
subjunctive		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	mordeam	mordeās	mordeat	mordeāmus	mordeātis	mordeant
	imperfect	mordērem	mordērēs	mordēret	mordērēmus	mordērētis	mordērent
	perfect	momorderim	momorderīs	momorderit	momorderīmus	momorderītis	momorderint
	pluperfect	momordissem	momordissēs	momordisset	momordissēmus	momordissētis	momordissent
passive	present	mordear	mordeāris, mordeāre	mordeātur	mordeāmur	mordeāminī	mordeantur
	imperfect	mordērer	mordērēris, mordērēre	mordērētur	mordērēmur	mordērēminī	mordērentur
	perfect	morsus + present active subjunctive of sum
	pluperfect	morsus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular			plural
imperative		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	—	mordē	—	—	mordēte	—
active	future	—	mordētō	mordētō	—	mordētōte	mordentō
passive	present	—	mordēre	—	—	mordēminī	—
passive	future	—	mordētor	mordētor	—	—	mordentor
non-finite forms		active			passive
non-finite forms		present	perfect	future	present	perfect	future
infinitives		mordēre	momordisse	morsūrum esse	mordērī	morsum esse	morsum īrī
participles		mordēns	—	morsūrus	—	morsus	mordendus
verbal nouns		gerund				supine
		genitive	dative	accusative	ablative	accusative	ablative
		mordendī	mordendō	mordendum	mordendō	morsum	morsū

Derived terms

Descendants

Aragonese: morder
Asturian: morder
Galician: morder
Portuguese: morder
Spanish: morder

Reflexes of an assumed variant *mordĕre:^[1]

Italo-Romance:
- Italian: mordere
Insular Romance:
- Sardinian: mòrdere, mòrdiri
North Italian:
- Friulian: muardi
- Lombard: mord
- Piedmontese: mòrde
- >? Romansch: morder
Gallo-Romance:
- Old Catalan: mordre
- Franco-Provençal: môrdre
- Old French: mordre
  - French: mordre
- Gascon: mórder
- Occitan: mòrdre

References

Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002) “mŏrdĕre”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, volumes 6/3: Mobilis–Myxa, page 129

^ Grandgent, Charles Hall (1907) An Introduction to Vulgar Latin (Heath's Modern Language Series), D. C. Heath & Company, page 167