censeo

Latin

Etymology

Disputed.

According to de Vaan, perhaps from Proto-Italic *knsēō, itself perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *ḱn̥s-éh₁-ye-ti, a stative verb formed from the root *ḱens- (“to announce”).^[1]
Alternatively, it has been suggested the term could reflect a Proto-Indo-European term of the shape *ḱn̥s-éye-ti.^[2] Cognate with Sanskrit शंसति (śáṃsati, “to declare”), Proto-Iranian *cánhati.
The term may be a conflation of Proto-Italic *konsēō and *kensō. The former would be an iterative term from the root *ḱens- and the latter would be a thematic root present. According to Fortson, the conflation hypothesis could explain the radically divergent meanings of the verb.^[3]

Pronunciation

(Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈkẽː.se.oː]
(modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈt͡ʃɛn.se.o]

Verb

cēnseō (present infinitive cēnsēre, perfect active cēnsuī, supine cēnsum); second conjugation

to give an opinion
to think, suppose or judge
Synonyms: credo, reor, opinor, iūdicō, sentio, existimo, cogito, considero, arbitror, puto, reputo
to recommend, advise
Synonyms: suādeō, commendō, conciliō, dēlīberō, moneō, admoneō, praedicō
- Cato the Elder:
  Cēterum cēnseō Carthāginem esse dēlendam
  Furthermore, I recommend that Carthage must be destroyed
to decree, vote or determine
Synonym: cōnscīscō
to count or reckon, assess
to register the citizens, perform the task of a censor

Conjugation

Conjugation of cēnseō (second conjugation)

indicative		singular				plural
indicative		first	second		third	first	second		third
active	present	cēnseō	cēnsēs		cēnset	cēnsēmus	cēnsētis		cēnsent
	imperfect	cēnsēbam	cēnsēbās		cēnsēbat	cēnsēbāmus	cēnsēbātis		cēnsēbant
	future	cēnsēbō	cēnsēbis		cēnsēbit	cēnsēbimus	cēnsēbitis		cēnsēbunt
	perfect	cēnsuī	cēnsuistī		cēnsuit	cēnsuimus	cēnsuistis		cēnsuērunt, cēnsuēre
	pluperfect	cēnsueram	cēnsuerās		cēnsuerat	cēnsuerāmus	cēnsuerātis		cēnsuerant
	future perfect	cēnsuerō	cēnsueris		cēnsuerit	cēnsuerimus	cēnsueritis		cēnsuerint
passive	present	cēnseor	cēnsēris, cēnsēre		cēnsētur	cēnsēmur	cēnsēminī		cēnsentur
	imperfect	cēnsēbar	cēnsēbāris, cēnsēbāre		cēnsēbātur	cēnsēbāmur	cēnsēbāminī		cēnsēbantur
	future	cēnsēbor	cēnsēberis, cēnsēbere		cēnsēbitur	cēnsēbimur	cēnsēbiminī		cēnsēbuntur
	perfect	cēnsus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	cēnsus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	cēnsus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular				plural
subjunctive		first	second		third	first	second		third
active	present	cēnseam	cēnseās		cēnseat	cēnseāmus	cēnseātis		cēnseant
	imperfect	cēnsērem	cēnsērēs		cēnsēret	cēnsērēmus	cēnsērētis		cēnsērent
	perfect	cēnsuerim	cēnsuerīs		cēnsuerit	cēnsuerīmus	cēnsuerītis		cēnsuerint
	pluperfect	cēnsuissem	cēnsuissēs		cēnsuisset	cēnsuissēmus	cēnsuissētis		cēnsuissent
passive	present	cēnsear	cēnseāris, cēnseāre		cēnseātur	cēnseāmur	cēnseāminī		cēnseantur
	imperfect	cēnsērer	cēnsērēris, cēnsērēre		cēnsērētur	cēnsērēmur	cēnsērēminī		cēnsērentur
	perfect	cēnsus + present active subjunctive of sum
	pluperfect	cēnsus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular				plural
imperative		first	second		third	first	second		third
active	present	—	cēnsē		—	—	cēnsēte		—
active	future	—	cēnsētō		cēnsētō	—	cēnsētōte		cēnsentō
passive	present	—	cēnsēre		—	—	cēnsēminī		—
passive	future	—	cēnsētor		cēnsētor	—	—		cēnsentor
non-finite forms		infinitive				participle
non-finite forms		active		passive		active		passive
present		cēnsēre		cēnsērī, cēnsērier¹		cēnsēns		—
future		cēnsūrum esse		cēnsum īrī		cēnsūrus		cēnsendus
perfect		cēnsuisse		cēnsum esse		—		cēnsus, cēnsitus
future perfect		—		cēnsum fore		—		—
perfect potential		cēnsūrum fuisse		—		—		—
verbal nouns		gerund					supine
		genitive	dative		accusative	ablative	accusative		ablative
		cēnsendī	cēnsendō		cēnsendum	cēnsendō	cēnsum		cēnsū

¹The present passive infinitive in -ier is a rare poetic form which is attested.

Derived terms

Descendants

→ Italian: censire
→ Middle French: censer
- French: censé

References

^ De Vaan, Michiel (2008), “cēnseō”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 107
^ Rix, Helmut, editor (2001), “*k̑eNs-”, in Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben [Lexicon of Indo-European Verbs] (in German), 2nd edition, Wiesbaden: Dr. Ludwig Reichert Verlag, →ISBN, page 326
^ Fortson, Benjamin W.; Weiss, Michael (2019), “Oscan Kúnsíf Deívúz and the Di Consentes”, in Classical Philology, volume 114, number 4, University of Chicago Press, →DOI, →ISSN, pages 637–645

“censeo”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“censeo”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
“censeo”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
Dizionario Latino, Olivetti
Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894), Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
- the censors hold a census of the people: censores censent populum
- what is your opinion: quid censes? quid tibi videtur?

[1] De Vaan, Michiel (2008), “cēnseō”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 107

[LIV-2] Rix, Helmut, editor (2001), “*k̑eNs-”, in Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben [Lexicon of Indo-European Verbs] (in German), 2nd edition, Wiesbaden: Dr. Ludwig Reichert Verlag, →ISBN, page 326

[Fortson_Weiss_2019-3] Fortson, Benjamin W.; Weiss, Michael (2019), “Oscan Kúnsíf Deívúz and the Di Consentes”, in Classical Philology, volume 114, number 4, University of Chicago Press, →DOI, →ISSN, pages 637–645

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