obsecro

Latin

Alternative forms

opsecrō

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *h₁óp(i)

Proto-Italic *op

Latin ob

Latin ob-

Proto-Indo-European *seh₂k-

Proto-Indo-European *-rós

Proto-Indo-European *sh₂krós

Proto-Italic *sakros

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂

Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂

Proto-Indo-European *-yéti

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu.

Proto-Italic *-ājō

Proto-Italic *-āō

Proto-Italic *sakrāō

Latin sacrō

Latin obsecrō

From ob- + sacrō (“consecrate”).

Pronunciation

(Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈɔp.sɛ.kroː]
(modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈɔb.se.kro]

Verb

obsecrō (present infinitive obsecrāre, perfect active obsecrāvī, supine obsecrātum); first conjugation

to entreat, implore, beseech, supplicate, beg, pray
Synonyms: supplicō, ōrō, efflāgitō, flāgitō, expetō, rogō
- 166 BCE, Publius Terentius Afer, Andria 351:
  Obsecrō tē: quam prīmum hōc mē līberā miserum metū!
  I beg you: free me in my misery from this fear as soon as possible!

Conjugation

Conjugation of obsecrō (first conjugation)

indicative		singular				plural
indicative		first	second		third	first	second		third
active	present	obsecrō	obsecrās		obsecrat	obsecrāmus	obsecrātis		obsecrant
	imperfect	obsecrābam	obsecrābās		obsecrābat	obsecrābāmus	obsecrābātis		obsecrābant
	future	obsecrābō	obsecrābis		obsecrābit	obsecrābimus	obsecrābitis		obsecrābunt
	perfect	obsecrāvī	obsecrāvistī, obsecrāstī¹		obsecrāvit, obsecrāt¹	obsecrāvimus, obsecrāmus¹	obsecrāvistis, obsecrāstis¹		obsecrāvērunt, obsecrārunt, obsecrāvēre¹
	pluperfect	obsecrāveram, obsecrāram¹	obsecrāverās, obsecrārās¹		obsecrāverat, obsecrārat¹	obsecrāverāmus, obsecrārāmus¹	obsecrāverātis, obsecrārātis¹		obsecrāverant, obsecrārant¹
	future perfect	obsecrāverō, obsecrārō¹	obsecrāveris, obsecrāris¹		obsecrāverit, obsecrārit¹	obsecrāverimus, obsecrārimus¹	obsecrāveritis, obsecrāritis¹		obsecrāverint, obsecrārint¹
passive	present	obsecror	obsecrāris, obsecrāre		obsecrātur	obsecrāmur	obsecrāminī		obsecrantur
	imperfect	obsecrābar	obsecrābāris, obsecrābāre		obsecrābātur	obsecrābāmur	obsecrābāminī		obsecrābantur
	future	obsecrābor	obsecrāberis, obsecrābere		obsecrābitur	obsecrābimur	obsecrābiminī		obsecrābuntur
	perfect	obsecrātus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	obsecrātus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	obsecrātus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular				plural
subjunctive		first	second		third	first	second		third
active	present	obsecrem	obsecrēs		obsecret	obsecrēmus	obsecrētis		obsecrent
	imperfect	obsecrārem	obsecrārēs		obsecrāret	obsecrārēmus	obsecrārētis		obsecrārent
	perfect	obsecrāverim, obsecrārim¹	obsecrāverīs, obsecrārīs¹		obsecrāverit, obsecrārit¹	obsecrāverīmus, obsecrārīmus¹	obsecrāverītis, obsecrārītis¹		obsecrāverint, obsecrārint¹
	pluperfect	obsecrāvissem, obsecrāssem¹	obsecrāvissēs, obsecrāssēs¹		obsecrāvisset, obsecrāsset¹	obsecrāvissēmus, obsecrāssēmus¹	obsecrāvissētis, obsecrāssētis¹		obsecrāvissent, obsecrāssent¹
passive	present	obsecrer	obsecrēris, obsecrēre		obsecrētur	obsecrēmur	obsecrēminī		obsecrentur
	imperfect	obsecrārer	obsecrārēris, obsecrārēre		obsecrārētur	obsecrārēmur	obsecrārēminī		obsecrārentur
	perfect	obsecrātus + present active subjunctive of sum
	pluperfect	obsecrātus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular				plural
imperative		first	second		third	first	second		third
active	present	—	obsecrā		—	—	obsecrāte		—
active	future	—	obsecrātō		obsecrātō	—	obsecrātōte		obsecrantō
passive	present	—	obsecrāre		—	—	obsecrāminī		—
passive	future	—	obsecrātor		obsecrātor	—	—		obsecrantor
non-finite forms		infinitive				participle
non-finite forms		active		passive		active		passive
present		obsecrāre		obsecrārī		obsecrāns		—
future		obsecrātūrum esse		obsecrātum īrī		obsecrātūrus		obsecrandus
perfect		obsecrāvisse, obsecrāsse¹		obsecrātum esse		—		obsecrātus
future perfect		—		obsecrātum fore		—		—
perfect potential		obsecrātūrum fuisse		—		—		—
verbal nouns		gerund					supine
		genitive	dative		accusative	ablative	accusative		ablative
		obsecrandī	obsecrandō		obsecrandum	obsecrandō	obsecrātum		obsecrātū

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

Derived terms

Related terms

Descendants

→ Italian: ossecrare
⇒ English: obsecrate

Interjection

obsecrō

(polite) please, I ask you, pray tell, prithee
Near-synonyms: amābō, quaesō
- c. 200 BCE, Plautus, Mostellaria 3.2.98:
  Quid illic, opsecro, tam diu destitisti?
  Why did you stay there so long, may I ask?
(colloquial) for God's sake, I'm begging you, for the love of God (an expression of exasperation)
- c. 191 BCE, Plautus, Pseudolus 1.1.128:
  St, tace opsecro hercle!
  Shh, shut up for God's sake, dear Lord!

References

“obsecro”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“obsecro”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
“obsecro”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894), Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
- to entreat earnestly; to make urgent requests: orare et obsecrare aliquem
- to implore some one's protection: fidem alicuius obsecrare, implorare