# praesto
## Latin
### Pronunciation

* (Classical Latin) IPA: /ˈprae̯s.toː/, [ˈpräe̯s̠t̪oː]
* (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA: /ˈpres.to/, [ˈprɛst̪o]

### Etymology 1

Related to praestolor (“to expect, wait for”). According to Pokorny, from the verb *praestōd-ārī, which is formed from the ablative singular *praistōd (“ready, available”). Steinbauer (1989: 255) supports this derivation. However, the idea of praesto coming from an ablative singular form is quite unique in Latin word formation.
Livingston (2004: 65-66) offers an alternative explanation, analyzing praestōlāre as a compound of the originally directive adverb praesto (“to the ready”) and -lare, potentially related to -ulare (“to wander”) as in ambulare.
In either case, the first element is the prefix prae- and the second from Proto-Italic *stōlo-, from Proto-Indo-European *stel- (“to place, put”), similar to locus.

#### Adverb

praestō (not comparable)
* at hand, ready, present, here
    Synonyms: parātus, prōmptus
* serviceable, helpful
* (with sum) to be at hand, attend, wait upon, serve, aid, be helpful

##### Derived terms

* praestus

##### Descendants

* Through praestus:
** > Catalan: prest (inherited)
** > French: prêt (inherited)
** → Interlingua: preste
** > Italian: presto (inherited)
*** → French: preste
*** → Interlingua: presto
** > Portuguese: presto (inherited)
** > Spanish: presto (inherited)

##### References

* praesto in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
* praestō - The Latin Lexicon

### Etymology 2

From prae- +‎ stō.

#### Verb

praestō (present infinitive praestāre, perfect active praestitī or praestāvī, supine praestātum or praestitum); first conjugation
* to be preferable, better, coupled with quam
** c. 52 BCE, Julius Caesar, Commentarii de Bello Gallico VII.1:In acie praestare interfici quam non veterem belli gloriam [...] recuperareIt was better to be slain in battle, than not to recover the ancient glory in war
** c. 52 BCE, Julius Caesar, Commentarii de Bello Gallico VII.10:Praestare visum est tamen omnis difficultates perpeti, quam tanta contumelia accepta omnium suorum voluntates alienareHowever it seemed better to endure any hardship than to alienate the affections of all his allies, by submitting to such an insult
** c. 52 BCE, Julius Caesar, Commentarii de Bello Gallico VII.17:Praestare omnes perferre acerbitates, quam non civibus Romanis, qui Cenabi perfidia Gallorum interissent, parentarentIt was better to sustain any hardship than to not avenge the Roman citizens who perished at Genabum by the perfidy of the Gauls
* to be outstanding, be exceeding in something, to excel, stand out, be superior, to distinguish oneself, be excellent, distinguished, admirable
    Synonyms: excellere, praecellere, antecellere
* to provide, supply, offer, bestow
* to exhibit, to show
    Synonyms: praebeō, ostendō, ostentō, expōnō, prōpōnō, prōdō, acclārō, indicō, prōferō, prōtrahō, fateor, profiteor, vulgō, coarguō, gerō
* (reflexive) to prove (oneself), to show (oneself)
* (Late Latin, Medieval Latin) to lend, loan

##### Conjugation

* Perfect forms like praestāvī are found post-Classically.

##### Derived terms

* praestātiō
* praestes
* matellam praestō alicui

##### Descendants

* Asturian: prestar
* Catalan: prestar
* Danish: præstere
* Friulian: imprestâ
* Galician: prestar
* Interlingua: prestar
* Italian: prestare
* Old French: prester
** Middle French: prester, preter
*** French: prêter
** Norman: prêter
** → Middle English: prest
*** English: prest
* Portuguese: prestar, prestes, emprestar
* Romanian: presta
* Sicilian: pristari, mpristari
* Spanish: prestar, emprestar
* Venetan: inprestar
* → Dutch: presteren
* → English: prestate, imprest
* → German: prästieren
* → Swedish: prestera

##### References

* “praesto”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
* “praesto”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
* praesto in Enrico Olivetti, editor (2003-2025), Dizionario Latino, Olivetti Media Communication
* "praesto", in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
* praesto in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
* Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎, London: Macmillan and Co. to show kindness to..: benevolentiam alicui praestare, in aliquem conferre to keep faith with a person, keep one's word: fidem praestare alicui to fulfil a promise: fidem (promissum) praestare to be answerable for a person, a thing: praestare aliquem, aliquid, de aliqua re or Acc. c. Inf. to do one's duty: officium suum facere, servare, colere, tueri, exsequi, praestare
* praesto in Ramminger, Johann (2016 July 16 (last accessed)) Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700‎, pre-publication website, 2005-2016
* ↑ De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “praestelo”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 486}