Verbum Hodiernum: AIO

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AIO Dictionary Entry

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Today's word is AIO, an odd little verb which is very commonly found in the third-person forms ait and aiunt, even though you will not find it in many other forms. You will also sometimes see some other present-tense forms aio and ais. That second-person form, ais, is most commonly found in the interrogative form Aisne? which is usually abbreviated to Ain? Other forms of the verb are quite rare - although you can see an imperative form in the saying Aut ai aut nega.

Etymologically, you can see the same Indo-European root in the English word "aye" (and hence "yea" and "yes").

In Latin, the root appears in a few very intriguing words, such as adagium (a "saying") and nego (literally, I "say not"). The verb autumo (aitumo) is a lengthened form of aio.

There are not a lot of sayings which actually involve the word aio, although the phrase ut aiunt is regularly used to introduce a proverbial saying. Most of the sayings below involve the word nego, although there are a few examples of aio, too!

Aut ai aut nega.

Cupimus negata.

Sors nulli negata est.

Nulli negabimus iustitiam.

Iustitiae dilatio est quaedam negatio.

Negandi causa avaro numquam deficit.

Cras do, non hodie: sic nego cotidie.

Virtus, negata via, tentat iter.

Dat virtus quod forma negat.

Quod natura negat, labor praebet.

Una dabit quod negat altera. (una = una hora)

Non poscunt sancti quod negatur a Deo.

Qui non negat, fatetur.

Bis peccat qui crimen negat.

Non purgat peccata qui negat.

Negatio facit rem dubiam.

Alii affirmant, alii negant.

Qui timide rogat, docet negare.

Mendaces aiunt furibus esse pares.

Aiunt solere senem rursum repuerascere.

Quae nata sunt, ea omnia denasci aiunt.

Aiunt enim multum legendum, non multa.

Multos modios salis simul edendos esse amicis aiunt.

Posteriores cogitationes, ut aiunt, sapientiores esse solent prioribus.

Credula vitam spes fovet, et melius fore cras semper ait.

Pereat qui crastina curat! Mors aurem vellens "vivite" ait, "venio."