Centesimus Quadragesimus Quintus: June 24, 2009: Posco
Theme for this month: Inchoative verbs
posco, poscere, poposci
Definition: to call for, demand, beg; (with double acc) to demand (something of someone); to ask for in marriage
Sententia: Quintus Iuliam, natam tredecim, poposcit, et pater adnuit, enim Quintus quantum pecuniae habuit ut videretur emere omnem Italiam posse, et civilitas bene scivit.
Quintus asked for Julia, age 13, in marriage, and her father nodded assent, for Quintus had so much money that he seemed to be able to buy all Italy, and he knew the science of politics well.
"Posco" is another big Vergil word, found books 1 and 4 of the Aeneid on the syllabus, and numerous other times. This word comes from similar roots as "prex," meaning "prayer"--the root in the Sanskrit "prasna-", meaning "question" + "sco." I personally hadn't actually realized when I first learned the word that it was inchoative; this inchoative nature serves to augment the "ask" which the stem means, I suppose.
NB: Bold and underline == macron