cupio

See also: 𐌂𐌖𐌐𐌉𐌏

Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *kupiō, from a Proto-Indo-European root akin to *kwep- (“to smoke, boil, move violently”); see also Lithuanian kūpėti (“to boil over”), Old Church Slavonic кꙑпѣти (kypěti, “to boil”), Sanskrit कुप्यति (kúpyati, “become agitated, bubbles up”), English hope.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈkʊ.pi.oː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈkuː.pi.o]

Verb

cupiō (present infinitive cupere, perfect active cupīvī or cupiī, supine cupītum); third (-iō variant) conjugation

1. to desire, long for

   Synonyms: requīrō, affectō, aveō, quaerō, studeō, concupiō, indigeō, petō, sitiō, expetō, circumspiciō, spectō, voveō, appetō

   Antonyms: āversor, abhorreō

   • 161 BCE, Publius Terentius Afer, Eunuchus 812–813:

     Nōvī ingenium mulierum: / nōlunt ubi vēlīs, ubi nolīs cupiunt ultrō.

     I know the ways of women: they are unwilling when you want [it]; [and] when you are unwilling, they desire [it] wantonly.

2. to please, favor, be well disposed towards (someone, something)

   Quod cupiō mēcum est. Inopem mē cōpia fēcit.

   What I desire is with me: Abundance made me destitute.

   • Cupio omnia quaevis.

     Your wishes are mine.

     (literally, “I favor whatever you want.”)

Conjugation

   Conjugation of cupiō (third (-iō variant) conjugation)

indicative		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	cupiō		cupis		cupit		cupimus		cupitis		cupiunt
	imperfect	cupiēbam		cupiēbās		cupiēbat		cupiēbāmus		cupiēbātis		cupiēbant
	future	cupiam		cupiēs		cupiet		cupiēmus		cupiētis		cupient
	perfect	cupīvī, cupiī		cupīvistī, cupīstī, cupiistī1		cupīvit, cupīt, cupiit1		cupīvimus, cupīmus, cupiimus1		cupīvistis, cupīstis, cupiistis1		cupīvērunt, cupīrunt, cupīvēre, cupiērunt, cupiēre1
	pluperfect	cupīveram, cupīram, cupieram1		cupīverās, cupīrās, cupierās1		cupīverat, cupīrat, cupierat1		cupīverāmus, cupīrāmus, cupierāmus1		cupīverātis, cupīrātis, cupierātis1		cupīverant, cupīrant, cupierant1
	future perfect	cupīverō, cupīrō, cupierō1		cupīveris, cupīris, cupieris1		cupīverit, cupīrit, cupierit1		cupīverimus, cupīrimus, cupierimus1		cupīveritis, cupīritis, cupieritis1		cupīverint, cupīrint, cupierint1
passive	present	cupior		cuperis, cupere		cupitur		cupimur		cupiminī		cupiuntur
	imperfect	cupiēbar		cupiēbāris, cupiēbāre		cupiēbātur		cupiēbāmur		cupiēbāminī		cupiēbantur
	future	cupiar		cupiēris, cupiēre		cupiētur		cupiēmur		cupiēminī		cupientur
	perfect	cupītus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	cupītus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	cupītus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	cupiam		cupiās		cupiat		cupiāmus		cupiātis		cupiant
	imperfect	cuperem		cuperēs		cuperet		cuperēmus		cuperētis		cuperent
	perfect	cupīverim, cupīrim, cupierim1		cupīverīs, cupīrīs, cupierīs1		cupīverit, cupīrit, cupierit1		cupīverīmus, cupīrīmus, cupierīmus1		cupīverītis, cupīrītis, cupierītis1		cupīverint, cupīrint, cupierint1
	pluperfect	cupīvissem, cupīssem, cupiissem1		cupīvissēs, cupīssēs, cupiissēs1		cupīvisset, cupīsset, cupiisset1		cupīvissēmus, cupīssēmus, cupiissēmus1		cupīvissētis, cupīssētis, cupiissētis1		cupīvissent, cupīssent, cupiissent1
passive	present	cupiar		cupiāris, cupiāre		cupiātur		cupiāmur		cupiāminī		cupiantur
	imperfect	cuperer		cuperēris, cuperēre		cuperētur		cuperēmur		cuperēminī		cuperentur
	perfect	cupītus + present active subjunctive of sum
	pluperfect	cupītus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	—		cupe		—		—		cupite		—
	future	—		cupitō		cupitō		—		cupitōte		cupiuntō
passive	present	—		cupere		—		—		cupiminī		—
	future	—		cupitor		cupitor		—		—		cupiuntor
non-finite forms		infinitive						participle
		active			passive			active			passive
present		cupere			cupī			cupiēns			—
future		cupītūrum esse			cupītum īrī			cupītūrus			cupiendus, cupiundus
perfect		cupīvisse, cupīsse, cupiisse1			cupītum esse			—			cupītus
future perfect		—			cupītum fore			—			—
perfect potential		cupītūrum fuisse			—			—			—
verbal nouns		gerund								supine
		genitive		dative		accusative		ablative		accusative		ablative
		cupiendī		cupiendō		cupiendum		cupiendō		cupītum		cupītū

¹At least one rare poetic syncopated perfect form is attested.

Derived terms

• concupiō
• concupiscō
• cupiditās
• Cupīdō
• cupīdō
• cupidus
• cupiēns
• cupiēnter
• cupīscō
• cupītor
• Cupītus
• cuppēdia
• cuppēdinārius
• cuppēdo
• cuppēs
• discupiō
• percupiō

Descendants

• Sardinian: cubere
• Walloon: keûre
• → Italian: cupere
• →⇒ English: cupiosexual

Reflexes of the Late Latin variant cupīre:

• Franco-Provençal: kvi, kevi
• Old French: covir
  • Norman: couvir
• Old Occitan: cobir
• >? Sardinian: cubire

Reflexes of the Late Latin variant cupiscere:

• Franc-Comtois: quevatre

References

• Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002), “cŭpĕre”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), volume 2: C Q K, page 1551

Further reading

• “cupio”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “cupio”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894), Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • to be favourably disposed towards: alicuius causa velle or cupere