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From Proto-Italic*habēō or *haβēō (< earlier *xaβējō, with voiceless velar fricative, if the shift */x/ > */h/ in the Italic languages already happened during late Proto-Italic); the latter from *xaβējō may be from *gʰeh₁bʰ-éh₁-ye-ti, from Proto-Indo-European*gʰeh₁bʰ-(“to grab, to take”). Compare Old Irishgaibid(“takes, holds”), Polishgabać(“to accost, sue”).
Englishhave is not a cognate, despite similarity in meaning and form; it is instead cognate with capiō(“to take”) through Proto-Indo-European.
Oscan and Umbrian have cognate forms with -b-, which must reflect an original -b-, because Proto-Italic -β- (and therefore PIE-bʰ-) becomes -f-, not -b-, in those languages. On the other hand, b is a seldom-attested phoneme in PIE, whose status is still disputed. Thus, the exact origin of this word is not clear.
Among the oldest attestations are the works of Plautus (circa 254 to 184 BC) and the Senatus consultum de Bacchanalibus (186 BC). Umbrian cognate hab- attested in the Iguvine Tablets (oldest tablets 3rd century BC). Oscan cognate haf- attested in the Tabula Bantina (89 BC).
When used as a future in Late Latin and subsequently Romance, the pronunciation evolved into /ˈaβjo/ > /ˈajo/.
Ea tum cura maxime intentos habebat Romanos, non ab ira tantum, quae in nullam unquam ciuitatem iustior fuit, quam quod urbs tam nobilis ac potens, sicut defectione sua traxerat aliquot populos, ita recepta inclinatura rursus animos uidebatur ad ueteris imperii respectum.
This concern in particular troubled the mindful Romans at the time, not so much because of anger, which has never been more justified against any other city, rather because a city so noble and powerful, in the same way that it had attracted the support of a number of communities by its revolt, was thought would again turn attention back towards respect for the previous government once recaptured.
A patria Cathaloniæ se absentare habuerunt, et in fugam se constituerunt, ne justitia de ipsis fieret ― They had to leave from the land of Cathalonia, and decided to escape, so that justice would not be made of them
Habet in Spinogilo mansum dominicatum cum casa et aliis casticiis sufficienter ― There is a lord's villa in Spinogilo with a house and other buildings
Usage notes
In Late Latin, as the classical synthetic future tense began to decline in speech from phonetic changes, one of the various periphrases thereof was to use the present inflections of habeo with the infinitive; originally this construction was strictly modal:
Late 2nd century CE, Aulus Gellius, Noctes Atticae, Book 20, 10,2:
si quid igitur ex Vergilio, Plauto, Ennio quaerere habes, quaeras licet.
If you have something then to ask of Vergil & Plautus & Ennius, you may ask it.
Eventually it became the popular way to express the future tense in Romance:
Early 5th century CE, Augustine, In Evangelium Ioannis Tractatus, I, 4,2:
Tempestas illa tollere habet totam paleam de area
The storm will lift up all the chaff from the ground
1At least one use of the archaic "sigmatic future" and "sigmatic aorist" tenses is attested, which are used by Old Latin writers; most notably Plautus and Terence. The sigmatic future is generally ascribed a future or future perfect meaning, while the sigmatic aorist expresses a possible desire ("might want to"). 2The present passive infinitive in -ier is a rare poetic form which is attested.
habeo in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
“habeo”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“habeo”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
habeo in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book, London: Macmillan and Co.
to have time for a thing: tempus habere alicui rei
to have something in one's hands, on hand: in manibus habere aliquid (also metaphorically)
to treat as one's own child: aliquem in liberorum loco habere
I was ten years old at the time: tum habebam decem annos
such was the end of... (used of a violent death): talem vitae exitum (not finem) habuit (Nep. Eum. 13)
the facts are these; the matter stands thus: res ita est, ita (sic) se habet
to come to an end: finem habere
to turn out (well); to result (satisfactorily): eventum, exitum (felicem) habere
to have regard for; take into consideration: rationem habere alicuius rei
to have considerable influence on a question: magnam vim habere ad aliquid
to contain, afford matter for criticism: ansam habere reprehensionis
to have success in one's grasp: fortunam in manibus habere
to afford no consolation: nihil habere consolationis
to be very rich; to be in a position of affluence: magnas opes habere
to be well-disposed towards..: benevolentiam habere erga aliquem
to feel gratitude (in one's heart): gratiam alicui habere
to be at enmity with a man: inimicitias gerere, habere, exercere cum aliquo
to harp on a thing, be always talking of it: in ore habere aliquid (Fam. 6. 18. 5)
to have the reputation of virtue: opinionem virtutis habere
to honour, show respect for, a person: honorem alicui habere, tribuere
to be at leisure: otium habere
to have formed an ideal notion of a thing: comprehensam quandam animo speciem (alicuius rei) habere
a thing which is rather (very) dubious: quod aliquam (magnam) dubitationem habet (Leg. Agr. 1. 4. 11)
to know a thing for certain: aliquid compertum habere
I am quite certain on the point: mihi exploratum est, exploratum (certum) habeo
convince yourself of this; rest assured on this point: sic habeto
to deliberate together (of a number of people): consilium habere (de aliqua re)
I am resolved; it is my intention: in animo habeo or mihi est in animo c. Inf.
to have a theoretical knowledge of a thing: ratione, doctrina (opp. usu) aliquid cognitum habere
to have had great experience in a thing: magnum usum in aliqua re habere
we know from experience: usu cognitum habemus
to possess literary knowledge: litterarum scientiam (only in sing.) habere
to be well-informed, erudite: multa cognita, percepta habere, multa didicisse
to have as authority for a thing: auctorem aliquem habere alicuius rei
to be well acquainted with the views of philosophers: praecepta philosophorum (penitus) percepta habere
to give lectures: scholas habere, explicare (Fin. 2. 1. 1)
to know nothing of logic: disserendi artem nullam habere
to maintain a controversy with some one: controversiam (contentionem) habere cum aliquo
to be a man of taste: sensum, iudicium habere
to have an appreciative audience: populum facilem, aequum habere
to make a speech: orationem habere (Tusc. 5. 33. 94)
to read a speech: de scripto orationemhabere, dicere (opp. sine scripto, ex memoria)
I have nothing to write about: non habeo argumentum scribendi
I have nothing to write about: non habeo, non est quod scribam
to be engaged on a book: librum in manibus habere (Acad. 1. 1. 2)
something harasses me, makes me anxious: aliquid me sollicitat, me sollicitum habet, mihi sollicitudini est, mihi sollicitudinem affert
I am content to..: satis habeo, satis mihi est c. Inf.
to be brave, courageous: bonum animum habere
to cherish a hope: spem habere
to set one's hope on some one: spem habere in aliquo
to possess not the least spark of feeling: nullam partem sensus habere
to feel affection for a person: carum habere aliquem
to feel affection for a person: in amore habere aliquem
to be some one's favourite: in amore et deliciis esse alicui (active in deliciis habere aliquem)
to have laid something to heart; to take an interest in a thing: curae habere aliquid
there is nothing I am more interested in than..: nihil antiquius or prius habeo quam ut (nihil mihi antiquius or potius est, quam ut)
to be admired: admirationem habere (Quintil. 8. 2. 6)
to believe a person: fidemhabere alicui
to have great confidence in a thing: fiduciam (alicuius rei) habere
a thing finds credence, is credible: aliquid fidem habet (vid. also fides under sect. VII., History)
to suspect a person: suspicionem habere de aliquo
to be suspected of a thing: suspicionem alicuius rei habere
to cherish an inveterate animosity against some one: odium inveteratum habere in aliquem (Vat. 3. 6)
this is a characteristic of virtue, it..: virtus hoc habet, ut...
to overcome one's passions: coercere, cohibere, continere, domitas habere cupiditates
to give offense to, to shock a person (used of things, vid. sect. V. 18): offensionem habere
there is something repulsive about the thing: res habet aliquid offensionis
to have the appearance of something: speciem alicuius rei habere
to pay divine honours to some one: alicui divinos honores tribuere, habere
to have power over the people by trading on their religious scruples: religione obstrictos habere multitudinis animos (Liv. 6. 1. 10)
to make a thing a matter of conscience, be scrupulous about a thing: aliquid religioni habere or in religionem vertere
to have innate ideas of the Godhead; to believe in the Deity by intuition: insitas (innatas) dei cognitiones habere (N. D. 1. 17. 44)
to celebrate a festival of thanksgiving: supplicationem habere (Liv. 22. 1. 15)
to hold a lectisternium: lectisternium facere, habere (Liv. 22. 1. 18)
to possess means, to be well off: rem or opes habere, bona possidere, in bonis esse
to dwell in a certain place: domicilium (sedem ac domicilium) habere in aliquo loco
I have no means, no livelihood: non habeo, qui (unde) vivam
to converse, talk with a person on a subject: sermonem habere cum aliquo de aliqua re (De Am. 1. 3)
to be a married man: uxorem habere (Verr. 3. 33. 76)
to separate from, divorce (of the man): aliquam suas res sibi habereiubere (Phil. 2. 28. 69)
to have commercial interests in Sicily: negotia habere (in Sicilia)
to make a profit out of something: quaestui aliquid habere (Off. 2. 3. 13)
I have money owing me: pecuniam in nominibus habeo
to be in debt: aes alienum habere
to have no constitution, be in anarchy: nullam habere rem publicam
to fix the day for, to hold, to dismiss a meeting: concilium indicere, habere, dimittere
to hold a meeting of the people: comitia habere
to enjoy absolute immunity: immunitatem omnium rerum habere
to enrich oneself at the expense of the state: rem publicam quaestui habere
he has power over life and death: potestatem habet in aliquem vitae necisque (B. G. 1. 16. 5)
to hold the census: censum habere, agere (Liv. 3. 22)
to hold a sitting of the senate: senatum habere
to examine a person, a matter: quaestionem habere de aliquo, de aliqua re or in aliquem
to have a good case: causam optimam habere (Lig. 4. 10)
to hold a levy: dilectum habere
to be excused military duty: militiae vacationem habere
veterans; experienced troops: qui magnum in castris usum habent
to possess great experience in military matters: magnum usum in re militari habere (Sest. 5. 12)
to hold a council of war: consilium habere, convocare
to harangue the soldiers: contionem habere apud milites
this I have to say: haec habeo dicere or habeo quae dicam
the matter stands so (otherwise): res ita (aliter) se habet
habeo in Ramminger, Johann (2016 July 16 (last accessed)) Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700, pre-publication website, 2005-2016
^ De Vaan, Michiel (2008) Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN
^ Perfectum: hip-; Carl Darling Buck believes the f is a mistake and should be a p so the present stem would be hap-.