origin of Latin "do, dare"

[iffr762 at utxvms.cc.utexas.edu]

On Thu, 4 May 2000, Anthony Appleyard wrote:

> Latin `do, dare' continues the IE root {d-H3} = Greek {dido:mi} = "give". But
> many of its supposed compounds, e.g. `addo' = "add", `abdo' = "hide", have
> nothing to do with transfer of ownership and look more like as if made from a
> root meaning "put". Thus I suspect that in pre-literary Italic times there
> was confusion with the outcome of PIE {dheH1} = "put" (= Greek {tithe:mi}).

	I suppose "adficio, adficere" would have to be a later formation
then.  Etymologically it would be the same as "addo, addere".  And this
pre-literary Italic would have to be pretty early, if I am not mistaken,
for the change to /f/ not to have occurred, though perhaps theresome
evidence I am unaware of for this being late.  Furthermore, I am not sure
about the semantics being so strained.  Note that subtraction, like
addition, does not necessarily involve ownership, yet this does not stop
us from using expressions like "take away" ("take" being the opposite of
"give" to describe.  Perhaps "give" was re-analyzed as being almost a
motion verb.  For a rough parallel, one may note how the Celtic languages
(Welsh anyway) use "come with" to mean "bring" (certainly realted in
meaning to "give") and "go with" to mean "take".

					DLW