mitto

Latin

Etymology

Possibly for *mītō (with lengthening of the consonant vowel), from Proto-Indo-European *meyth₂-, *mith₂- ‎(“to exchange, remove”). From the original meaning "to exchange" a semantic shift occurred to "to give, bestow" and then "to let go, send". Cognates include Sanskrit मेथेते ‎(methete, “to become hostile, quarrel”) and Gothic 𐌹𐌽-𐌼𐌰𐌹𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 ‎(in-maidjan, “to change”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈmit.toː/

Verb

mittō ‎(present infinitive mittere, perfect active mīsī, supine missum); third conjugation

1. I send, cause to go, let go, release, discharge
2. I announce, tell, report, send word, advise
3. I yield, furnish, produce, export
4. I put an end to
5. I let or bring out, put or send forth, send out, emit; let blood, bleed; utter a sound, speak, say
6. I throw, hurl, cast, launch, send; throw down, sprinkle
7. I attend, guide, escort
8. I dismiss, disregard
   • Vergil. Aeneid, VI

     mitte hanc de pectore curam

     Dismiss this anxiety from your heart

Inflection

Conjugation of mitto (third conjugation)
indicative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	mittō	mittis	mittit	mittimus	mittitis	mittunt
	imperfect	mittēbam	mittēbās	mittēbat	mittēbāmus	mittēbātis	mittēbant
	future	mittam	mittēs	mittet	mittēmus	mittētis	mittent
	perfect	mīsī	mīsistī	mīsit	mīsimus	mīsistis	mīsērunt, mīsēre
	pluperfect	mīseram	mīserās	mīserat	mīserāmus	mīserātis	mīserant
	future perfect	mīserō	mīseris	mīserit	mīserimus	mīseritis	mīserint
passive	present	mittor	mitteris, mittere	mittitur	mittimur	mittiminī	mittuntur
	imperfect	mittēbar	mittēbāris, mittēbāre	mittēbātur	mittēbāmur	mittēbāminī	mittēbantur
	future	mittar	mittēris, mittēre	mittētur	mittēmur	mittēminī	mittentur
	perfect	missus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	missus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	missus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	mittam	mittās	mittat	mittāmus	mittātis	mittant
	imperfect	mitterem	mitterēs	mitteret	mitterēmus	mitterētis	mitterent
	perfect	mīserim	mīserīs	mīserit	mīserīmus	mīserītis	mīserint
	pluperfect	mīsissem	mīsissēs	mīsisset	mīsissēmus	mīsissētis	mīsissent
passive	present	mittar	mittāris, mittāre	mittātur	mittāmur	mittāminī	mittantur
	imperfect	mitterer	mitterēris, mitterēre	mitterētur	mitterēmur	mitterēminī	mitterentur
	perfect	missus + present active subjunctive of sum
	pluperfect	missus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	—	mitte	—	—	mittite	—
	future	—	mittitō	mittitō	—	mittitōte	mittuntō
passive	present	—	mittere	—	—	mittiminī	—
	future	—	mittitor	mittitor	—	—	mittuntor
non-finite forms		active			passive
		present	perfect	future	present	perfect	future
infinitives		mittere	mīsisse	missūrus esse	mittī	missus esse	missum īrī
participles		mittēns	—	missūrus	—	missus	mittendus
verbal nouns		gerund				supine
		nominative	genitive	dative/ablative	accusative	accusative	ablative
		mittere	mittendī	mittendō	mittendum	missum	missū

Synonyms

• (send forth, emit): ēmittō, iaciō
• (throw, hurl): iaciō, iaculor, lībrō

Derived terms

Derived terms

admittō āmittō circummittō committō comprōmittō dēmittō dīmittō ēmittō immittō

intermittō intrōmittō missa missālis missāticum missīcius missiculō missilis missiō

missitō missīvus missor missōrium missum missus mittēns omittō permittō

praemittō praetermittō prōmittō remittō submittō supermittō trānsmittō

Descendants

• Aragonese: meter
• Catalan: metre
• Dalmatian: metar, miater
• Franco-Provençal: metre, metar
• French: mettre
• Friulian: meti
• Galician: meter
• Istriot: meti
• Italian: mettere

• Ladin: meter
• Occitan: metre, metar
• Portuguese: meter
• Romagnol: mètar
• Romansh: metter, meter
• Sardinian: míntere, míntiri, mintire
• Sicilian: mèttiri, mèntiri, mittiri
• Spanish: meter
• Venetian: métar, meter

References

• mitto in Charlton T. Lewis & Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• mitto in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• mitto in Félix Gaffiot (1934), Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Paris: Hachette.
• Meissner, Carl; Auden, Henry William (1894) Latin Phrase-Book^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • to send to meet a person: obviam alicui aliquem mittere
    
  • to speak, utter a sound: vocem mittere (sonitum reddere of things)
    
  • to dedicate a book to some one: librum mittere ad aliquem (Fin. 1. 3. 8)
    
  • to write a letter to some one: epistulam (litteras) dare, scribere, mittere ad aliquem
    
  • to send and consult the oracle at Delphi: mittere Delphos consultum
    
  • to turn some one out of the house: foras mittere aliquem
    
  • to send out colonists: colōnos mittere (Div. 1. 1. 3)
    
  • to discharge missiles: tela iacere, conicere, mittere
    
  • to send to the war: mittere ad bellum
    
  • (ambiguous) to live a happy (unhappy) life: vitam beatam (miseram) degere
    
• Andrew L. Sihler (1995) New Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin, New York, Oxford, Oxford University Press