dimitto

Latin

Etymology

From dis- +‎ mittere (“to send”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [diːˈmɪt.toː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [diˈmit.to]

Verb

dīmittō (present infinitive dīmittere, perfect active dīmīsī, supine dīmissum); third conjugation

1. to send away, send forth, send off, dismiss, let go
   • 29 BCE – 19 BCE, Vergilius, Aeneis 1.569–571:

     “Seu vōs Hesperiam magnam Sāturniaque arva,
     sīve Erycīs fīnīs rēgemque optātis Acestēn,
     auxiliō tūtōs dīmittam, opibusque iuvābō.”

     “Whatever your choices – great Hesperia and the fields of Saturn, or the land of Eryx and King Acestes – I shall send [you] forth with protective escorts, and help with supplies.” – Queen Dido

2. to renounce, give up, abandon, forego, forsake

   Synonyms: dēserō, dēstituō, cēdō, dēcēdō, concēdō, dēdō, abiciō, prōdō, dēspondeō

   • Late 4th century, Jerome [et al.], transl., edited by Roger Gryson, Biblia Sacra: Iuxta Vulgatam Versionem (Vulgate), 5th edition, Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, published 2007, →ISBN, Proverbiorum 1:8, page 958:

     audi fili mi disciplinam patris tui et ne dimittas legem matris tuae

     My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother.

3. to pardon, forgive, condone

   Synonyms: ignōscō, parcō, remittō, āmittō, dōnō, perdōnō, condōnō

   • Late 4th century, Jerome [et al.], transl., edited by Roger Gryson, Biblia Sacra: Iuxta Vulgatam Versionem (Vulgate), 5th edition, Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, published 2007, →ISBN, Lucam 23:34, page 1654:

     Iesus autem dicebat: Pater dimitte illis non enim sciunt quid faciunt

     Jesus then said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Conjugation

   Conjugation of dīmittō (third conjugation)

indicative		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	dīmittō		dīmittis		dīmittit		dīmittimus		dīmittitis		dīmittunt
	imperfect	dīmittēbam		dīmittēbās		dīmittēbat		dīmittēbāmus		dīmittēbātis		dīmittēbant
	future	dīmittam		dīmittēs		dīmittet		dīmittēmus		dīmittētis		dīmittent
	perfect	dīmīsī		dīmīsistī		dīmīsit		dīmīsimus		dīmīsistis		dīmīsērunt, dīmīsēre
	pluperfect	dīmīseram		dīmīserās		dīmīserat		dīmīserāmus		dīmīserātis		dīmīserant
	future perfect	dīmīserō		dīmīseris		dīmīserit		dīmīserimus		dīmīseritis		dīmīserint
passive	present	dīmittor		dīmitteris, dīmittere		dīmittitur		dīmittimur		dīmittiminī		dīmittuntur
	imperfect	dīmittēbar		dīmittēbāris, dīmittēbāre		dīmittēbātur		dīmittēbāmur		dīmittēbāminī		dīmittēbantur
	future	dīmittar		dīmittēris, dīmittēre		dīmittētur		dīmittēmur		dīmittēminī		dīmittentur
	perfect	dīmissus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	dīmissus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	dīmissus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	dīmittam		dīmittās		dīmittat		dīmittāmus		dīmittātis		dīmittant
	imperfect	dīmitterem		dīmitterēs		dīmitteret		dīmitterēmus		dīmitterētis		dīmitterent
	perfect	dīmīserim		dīmīserīs		dīmīserit		dīmīserīmus		dīmīserītis		dīmīserint
	pluperfect	dīmīsissem		dīmīsissēs		dīmīsisset		dīmīsissēmus		dīmīsissētis		dīmīsissent
passive	present	dīmittar		dīmittāris, dīmittāre		dīmittātur		dīmittāmur		dīmittāminī		dīmittantur
	imperfect	dīmitterer		dīmitterēris, dīmitterēre		dīmitterētur		dīmitterēmur		dīmitterēminī		dīmitterentur
	perfect	dīmissus + present active subjunctive of sum
	pluperfect	dīmissus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	—		dīmitte		—		—		dīmittite		—
	future	—		dīmittitō		dīmittitō		—		dīmittitōte		dīmittuntō
passive	present	—		dīmittere		—		—		dīmittiminī		—
	future	—		dīmittitor		dīmittitor		—		—		dīmittuntor
non-finite forms		infinitive						participle
		active			passive			active			passive
present		dīmittere			dīmittī			dīmittēns			—
future		dīmissūrum esse			dīmissum īrī			dīmissūrus			dīmittendus, dīmittundus
perfect		dīmīsisse			dīmissum esse			—			dīmissus
future perfect		—			dīmissum fore			—			—
perfect potential		dīmissūrum fuisse			—			—			—
verbal nouns		gerund								supine
		genitive		dative		accusative		ablative		accusative		ablative
		dīmittendī		dīmittendō		dīmittendum		dīmittendō		dīmissum		dīmissū

Related terms

• mittō

Descendants

• Catalan: dimitir, demetre
• English: dismiss
• French: démettre
• Galician: dimitir
• Italian: dimettere
• Portuguese: demitir
• Piedmontese: dimëtte
• Spanish: dimitir

References

• “dimitto”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “dimitto”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “dimitto”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894), Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • to let go from one's hands: e manibus dimittere
    
  • to lose, let slip an opportunity: occasionem praetermittere, amittere (through carelessness), omittere (deliberately), dimittere (through indifference)
    
  • to let success slip through one's fingers: fortunam ex manibus dimittere
    
  • to fix the day for, to hold, to dismiss a meeting: concilium indicere, habere, dimittere
    
  • to dismiss the senate: dimittere senatum
    
  • to let a person go scot-free: impunitum aliquem dimittere
    
  • to disband an army: dimittere exercitum
    
  • to not let the enemy escape: hostem e manibus non dimittere
    
  • to let the enemy escape: dimittere e manibus hostes
    
  • to let a sure victory slip through one's hands: victoriam exploratam dimittere