immo

See also: immõ, Immo, and -immo

French

Etymology

Clipping of immobilisation.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /i.mo/

• Audio (France (Somain)):

  (file)

Noun

immo f (plural immos)

1. (accounting, informal) fixed asset

   Synonym: immobilisation

Latin

Alternative forms

• imō

Etymology

May be for *ipsimō, from ipse. Otherwise the ablative singular of īmus with unexpected geminate /mm/, or conflated therewith.

Some comparativists, including Götze & Pedersen (1934) and more recently Kimball (1999) and Kloekhorst (2008), have compared Hittite 𒅎𒈠 (im-ma, “truly, really, indeed”) and Luwian 𒅎𒈠 (im-ma), hieroglyphic [script needed] (ima, “indeed”). The details of this connection are unclear at best, but if valid it would point to common inheritance from Proto-Indo-European. E.g., Kimball suggests to reconstruct *im*-moh₂, comparing the second element with Ancient Greek μᾰ́ (mắ). A major problem with this etymology is that the preservation of the geminate /mm/ all the way from PIE to Classical Latin is an unknown phenomenon.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈɪm.moː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈim.mo]

Adverb

immō (not comparable)

1. (negative) on the contrary, nay (rather), no indeed
   • c. 4 BCE – 65 CE, Seneca Minor, Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium 1.47.1:

     “Servī sunt!” Immō hominēs. “Servī sunt!” Immō contubernālēs. “Servī sunt!” Immō humilēs amīcī. “Servī sunt!” Immō cōnservī, sī cōgitāverīs tantundem in utrōsque licēre Fortūnae.

     “They’re slaves!” [someone might say]. Rather, [they’re] human beings. “They’re slaves!” No, housemates. “They’re slaves!” Instead, humble friends. “They’re slaves!” On the contrary, fellow slaves — if you have considered that Fortune is allowed just as much [power] over both [slaves and freemen].
     (Given Seneca’s rhetorical styling of rhythmic repetition in compact Latin, a translator must decide whether to repeat the same word or phrase, or to vary the word choices — as seen here.)

   • 166 BCE, Publius Terentius Afer, Andria 29–30:

     SŌSIA: Dictum putā: / nempe ut cūrentur rēctē haec? SĪMŌ: Immō aliud.

     SOSIA: Consider it as said: namely, that these [preparations] be properly taken care of? SIMO: On the contrary, [there’s] something else.

2. (reinforcing negative) actually, what is more, even (often intensified with edepol, hercle, ecastor, vero, potius, etc.)

   Synonym: revera

   • 63 BCE, Cicero, In Catilinam orationes 1.2:

     vīvit? immō vērō etiam in senātum venit;

     Not only is Catiline alive, truly he even comes into the senate!

Descendants

• Sardinian: emmo

References

• De Vaan, Michiel (2008), “immō”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 300
• Götze, Albrecht & Pedersen, Holger (1934) Muršilis Sprachlächmung (= Danske Vidensk. Selskab, hist.-filol. Meddelelser 21/1), København.
• Kimball, Sara E. (1999) Hittite Historical Phonology. Innsbruck: Institut für Sprachwissenschaft.
• Kloekhorst, Alwin (2008), “imma”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Hittite Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 5), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 384
• Forcellini, Egidio; Furlanetto, Giuseppe (ed.); Corradini, Francesco (ed.); and Perin, Giuseppe (ed.) (1733-1965). Lexicon Totius Latinitatis. Bologna: Arnaldo Forni. Vol. II. p. 726.

Further reading

• “immo”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “immo”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “immo”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.