The use of the Latin -izare(-issare, -idiare) suffix in Early Christian Literature

Abstract

The first Latin -izare (-idiare, -issare) verbs are found in the comedies of Plautus, and from then on the suffix becomes increasingly productive in the Latin language. Even today it is still a common means of creating new verbs in the Romance languages. The present paper aims to provide a brief insight into the use of the -izare (-idiare) verbal suffix in Christian literature from the 3rd – 6th centuries A.D.We will look at the texts and contexts in which verbs carrying this suffix appear in this period, as well as the variant of the suffix employed in each case (-izare or -idiare). We will also examine the way in which the suffix is used to create new verbs and the semantic value it carries. Paying special attention to the verbs that are identified as creations within the Latin language (pulverizare ‘to pulverize’, martyrizare ‘to become a martyr’), we will draw conclusions on the value the suffix had to the Latin speaker of the time.