iubeo

Latin

Alternative forms

• jubeō

Etymology

From Old Latin ioubeō, from Proto-Italic *jouðeō, from earlier *jouðejō, from Proto-Indo-European *Hyowdʰ-éye-ti, from Proto-Indo-European *Hyewdʰ- (“set in upright motion”), likely an extension of *h₂ey- (“life, age”). Indirectly cognate with iūrō and iūs, aevum and iūgis, and possibly with imitor and imāgō.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈi̯u.be.oː/,
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈju.be.o/,

Verb

iubeō (present infinitive iubēre, perfect active iussī, supine iussum); second conjugation

1. (Old Latin, Classical Latin) to authorize, to legitimate, to make lawful, to homologate, to pass (a bill or law or decision)
   • c. 200 BCE, Plautus, Menaechmi 1028–1030:

     MESS. Sic sine igitur, si tuom negas me esse, abire liberum.
     MEN. Mea quidem hercle causa liber esto atque ito quo voles.
     MESS. Nempe iubes?
     MEN. Iubeo hercle, si quid imperi est in te mihi.

     MESS. Very well then, sir, if you say I'm not yours, let me go free.
     MEN. Lord, man, be free so far as I am concerned, and go where you like.
     MESS. So you authorize me, indeed?
     MEN. Lord, yes I authorize it, if I am supposed to decide over you.

2. to bid, to command, to order

   Synonyms: imperō, praecipiō, praescrībō, ēdīcō, mandō, iniungō, dictō, indīcō, pōnō

   • 29 BCE – 19 BCE, Virgil, Aeneid 1.576–578:

     “ Equidem per lītora certōs
     dīmittam, et Libyae lūstrāre extrēma iubēbō,
     sī quibus ēiectus silvīs aut urbibus errat.”

     “For my part, I shall send forth reliable along the shores, and order to search the furthest edges of Libya, whether the shipwrecked wanders some woods or towns.” – Queen Dido

   • Cūr nōn illam hūc trānsferrī iubēs? :

     why don't you command her to be brought over hither?

Conjugation

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"). It is also attested as having a rare sigmatic future passive indicative form ("will have been"), which is not attested in the plural for any verb.

Synonyms

• imperō, mandō, praecipiō

Derived terms

• iussiō
• iussus

Descendants

• → Italian: iubere

References

• De Vaan, Michiel (2008) Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7)‎, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN
• “jubeo”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “iubeo”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎, London: Macmillan and Co.
  • he is a young man of great promise: adulescens alios bene de se sperare iubet, bonam spem ostendit or alii de adulescente bene sperare possunt
    
  • to let those present fix any subject they like for discussion: ponere iubere, qua de re quis audire velit (Fin. 2. 1. 1)
    
  • to greet a person: aliquem salvere iubere (Att. 4. 14)
    
  • I bid you good-bye, take my leave: te valere iubeo
    
  • to separate from, divorce (of the man): aliquam suas res sibi habere iubere (Phil. 2. 28. 69)
    
  • to reject a bill: legem antiquare (opp. accipere, iubere)
    
  • to ratify a law (used of the people): legem iubere
    
  • to declare a law valid: legem ratam esse iubere
    
  • the law orders, forbids (expressly, distinctly): lex iubet, vetat (dilucide, planissime)
    
  • to banish a man from his native land: e patria exire iubere aliquem
    
  • the senate decreed (and the people ratified the decree) that..: senatus decrevit (populusque iussit) ut
    
  • good luck to you: macte virtute (esto or te esse iubeo)
    
• Willi, Andreas (2001) “Lateinisch iubēre, griechisch εὐϑύς und ein indogermanisches Rechtskonzept”, in Historische Sprachforschung (in German), volume 114, number 1. H., →DOI, pages 117–146