Humanitext Reader

Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §50.16.111.pr

Definition of Censere and Etymology of Censor

Passage 8925 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

The jurist Javolenus explains the definition of the verb 'censere' (to determine, to command) and the usage of words derived from it, such as 'censor'.

[IAUOLENUS libro sexto ex Cassio. ] §50.16.111.pr'Censere' est constituere et praecipere.
[JAVOLENUS, in the sixth book of his commentary on Cassius.] 'Censere' means to determine and to command.
unde etiam dicere solemus 'censeo hoc facias' et 'semet aliquid censuisse'.
Hence we are also accustomed to say 'I decree that you do this' and 'that he himself had decided something'.
inde censoris nomen uidetur esse tractum.
From this the name of the censor seems to have been derived.

Notes

  1. 50.16.111.prfacias — Subjunctive present 2nd person singular in a noun clause dependent on `censeo` (I decree/propose) with the conjunction `ut` omitted.
  2. 50.16.111.prsemet — The accusative reflexive pronoun `se` with the emphatic suffix `-met`, serving as the subject accusative of the perfect infinitive `censuisse`.
  3. 50.16.111.pruidetur — Indicative passive 3rd person singular, forming a personal construction (nominative with infinitive, NCI) with the subject `nomen` and the infinitive `esse tractum` to mean 'seems to have been derived'.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §50.16.111.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:50.16.111.pr

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