# "Seize" the day -- etymology question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 23, 2006, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seize-the-day-etymology-question/381503 "2006-11-23T01:29:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seize-the-day-etymology-question/381503/1 "2006-11-23T01:29:06Z")
Was just BSing with a friend and made a very bizarre pun on “reprehensible” and “prehensile.” Which – of course – got me thinking about their etymologies. “Prehendere” is Latin for “seize,” which explains prehenile, apprehend, comprehend, etc. But why “re-prehend,” (“reseize”) for “censure”? ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seize-the-day-etymology-question/381503/2 "2006-11-23T01:35:03Z")
“Take that back!” ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seize-the-day-etymology-question/381503/3 "2006-11-23T01:40:02Z")
[QUOTE=twickster] Was just BSing with a friend and made a very bizarre pun on “reprehensible” and “prehensile.” Which – of course – got me thinking about their etymologies. “Prehendere” is Latin for “seize,” which explains prehenile, apprehend, comprehend, etc. But why “re-prehend,” (“reseize”) for “censure”? [/QUOTE] “re-” in the sense of “back” more than “again.” (The prefix is used for both.) Latin _reprehendo_ is “lay hold of for the purpose of pulling back; hence, to hold back, restrain, check; blame, censure” and a few other meanings. So “censure” in the sense of “keep you from going forward and doing something.” Etymologically, it’s the -_hend_- bit that means “seize.” The pre- (combining form of _prae_-) is another preposition, meaning “head, front, before.” But _prehendo_ shows up as such fairly early in Latin. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seize-the-day-etymology-question/381503/4 "2006-11-23T01:56:10Z")
Thanks, **Doc**! I’m still a little unclear on why “check” would convlate with “censure,” but I’ll meditate on that. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seize-the-day-etymology-question/381503/5 "2006-11-23T02:22:52Z")
While we’re on the subject of Latin seizures, may I ask the “literal” meaning of the classic Latin adage for “Seize the day” (see Twickster’s wordplay in the thread title). I gather _carpere_ does not literally mean “to seize” except in idiomatic context such as _Carpe diem_. Any good explanation for the phrasing of the adage? ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seize-the-day-etymology-question/381503/6 "2006-11-23T02:51:24Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > I gather carpere does not literally mean “to seize” except in idiomatic context such as Carpe diem. Sez who? AFAIK “carpere” does literally mean “seize”, although it is perhaps better translated as something like “pluck, pick”. As in “flores carpere”, “to pick flowers”. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seize-the-day-etymology-question/381503/7 "2006-11-23T02:52:06Z")
[QUOTE=Polycarp] While we’re on the subject of Latin seizures, may I ask the “literal” meaning of the classic Latin adage for “Seize the day” (see Twickster’s wordplay in the thread title). I gather _carpere_ does not literally mean “to seize” except in idiomatic context such as _Carpe diem_. Any good explanation for the phrasing of the adage? [/QUOTE] That’s a weird one. Its root seems to be from a word meaning fruit. So its primary sense is to “pluck [fruit], gather [fruit].” But I must admit the semantic development baffles me. My dictionary lists: pluck, gather, etc. tear off, tear away (act of plucking) graze on, browse (pluck by means of animal mouth?) take and enjoy (as one does by plucking fruit); metaphorically, of time (thus _carpe diem_) but I can’t imagine how these relate: card for spinning (??) wear away, consume, weaken (??) harass (??) slander (??) separate into parts (??) start a journey, navigate (??) ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seize-the-day-etymology-question/381503/8 "2006-11-23T03:02:13Z")
Well, think “pick on”, “pick at”, “pick away at”. And [fiber carding by hand](http://www.worldknit.com/howto/howtospin/sfiberprep/card.html) is indeed a picky-plucky-looking sort of activity. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seize-the-day-etymology-question/381503/9 "2006-11-23T04:20:17Z")
[QUOTE=twickster] Thanks, **Doc**! I’m still a little unclear on why “check” would convlate with “censure,” but I’ll meditate on that. [/QUOTE] I don’t know what “convlate” means (and neither online dictionary I just tried has an entry for it), but it sounds like you’re not sure how “check” could share an etymology with “censure.” If I’m wrong, just ignore me (:)) – but if I’m right, think of the use of “check” as in “I was going to swear at him, but then I checked myself.” ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seize-the-day-etymology-question/381503/10 "2006-11-23T15:47:35Z")
[QUOTE=Misnomer] I don’t know what “convlate” means (and neither online dictionary I just tried has an entry for it), but it sounds like you’re not sure how “check” could share an etymology with “censure.” If I’m wrong, just ignore me (:)) – but if I’m right, think of the use of “check” as in “I was going to swear at him, but then I checked myself.” [/QUOTE] presumably **twickster** meant “con **f** late.” ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seize-the-day-etymology-question/381503/11 "2006-11-23T15:52:18Z")
[QUOTE=Polycarp] While we’re on the subject of Latin seizures, may I ask the “literal” meaning of the classic Latin adage for “Seize the day” (see Twickster’s wordplay in the thread title). I gather _carpere_ does not literally mean “to seize” except in idiomatic context such as _Carpe diem_. Any good explanation for the phrasing of the adage? [/QUOTE] I thought it was _carpe per diem_: seize the check. :D:D ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seize-the-day-etymology-question/381503/12 "2006-11-23T16:17:57Z")
[QUOTE=Misnomer] I don’t know what “convlate” means (and neither online dictionary I just tried has an entry for it), but it sounds like you’re not sure how “check” could share an etymology with “censure.” If I’m wrong, just ignore me (:)) – but if I’m right, think of the use of “check” as in “I was going to swear at him, but then I checked myself.” [/QUOTE] Yup, typo for “conflate.” Sorry. Anyway – I know that use of the word “check” – but don’t see how that ties in with censuring someone. If you censure someone you rebuke them formally. Checking implies an actual reining-in of their behavior through practical means. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seize-the-day-etymology-question/381503/13 "2006-11-23T17:26:36Z")
[QUOTE=DSYoungEsq] presumably **twickster** meant “con **f** late.” [/QUOTE] [QUOTE=twickster] Yup, typo for “conflate.” Sorry. [/QUOTE] Yeah, that occurred to me this morning. :smack: This is the first chance I’ve had to get online since last night. Even without that realization (but especially in light of it), I also know that the whole “dictionary” thing came across very badly, but I swear that I didn’t mean it that way: “conflate” just honestly didn’t occur to me, and I would never assume that **twickster** (or anyone here) couldn’t know a word that I don’t know. But if I just said “I don’t know that word,” I figured there would be a chorus of “look it up!” – so I mentioned that I tried looking it up (which I really did, and now feel stupid for doing). I’m so sorry, **twicks** – no jerkish behaviour was intended! ☹ Back to the question at hand: I get that “check” and “censure” have different meanings, but I also see them as being similar enough in idea (stopping something from happening; in the case of “censure” it would be stopping something from happening _again_) that they could share an etymology. ---
**Author:** ![sinjin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@sinjin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sinjin)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seize-the-day-etymology-question/381503/14 "2006-11-23T17:47:41Z")
[QUOTE=Dr. Drake] That’s a weird one. Its root seems to be from a word meaning fruit. So its primary sense is to “pluck [fruit], gather [fruit].” But I must admit the semantic development baffles me. My dictionary lists: pluck, gather, etc. tear off, tear away (act of plucking) graze on, browse (pluck by means of animal mouth?) take and enjoy (as one does by plucking fruit); metaphorically, of time (thus _carpe diem_) [/QUOTE] _carpe diem_ appears in Horace’s Odes. He’s giving advice to his friend about how to live and not to waste time in silly stuff like trying to know about the future. (don’t trust it, and especially don’t trust the fortune tellers who claim to tell you what’s going to happen!) “Sieze the day” is metaphorical in this instance, being exactly the phrasing you’d use to talk about plucking fruit. The idea is that you should act now while the day is ripe (plucking it) and not wait until tomorrow because you don’t know what will happen. There’s a pretty good translation of the ode at wikipedia [here.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpe_diem) ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2006, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seize-the-day-etymology-question/381503/15 "2006-11-24T02:22:41Z")
[QUOTE=Misnomer] I’m so sorry, **twicks** – no jerkish behaviour was intended! ☹ [/QUOTE] Didn’t take it as such. I’m still not seeing the check/censure thing – you check behavior before it happens, and censure it after. They’re both about trying to control someone else’s behavior, but in such totally different ways (before/after, actions/words) that I just don’t see how they’re the same.