percontor

Latin

Alternative forms

percontō
percū̆nctor

Etymology

Uncertain, suggestions include:

from contus (“stick, pole; plummet”), as if "to probe, to feel the depth with a (long) pole";
from cū̆nctor (this appears semantically unconvincing and more likely simply influenced by it, as in the Vulgar Latin derivative below, but compare Japanese 掛ける); (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)
from Proto-Indo-European *preḱ- (“to ask”).

Pronunciation

(Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [pɛrˈkɔn.tɔr]
(modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [perˈkɔn̪.t̪or]

Verb

percontor (present infinitive percontārī or percontārier, perfect active percontātus sum); first conjugation, deponent

to inquire, investigate, interrogate, question strictly
Synonyms: scīscitor, quaerō, scīscō, indāgō, requīrō, investīgō, interrogō, explōrō

Conjugation

Conjugation of percontor (first conjugation, deponent)

indicative		singular				plural
indicative		first	second		third	first	second		third
active	present	percontor	percontāris, percontāre		percontātur	percontāmur	percontāminī		percontantur
	imperfect	percontābar	percontābāris, percontābāre		percontābātur	percontābāmur	percontābāminī		percontābantur
	future	percontābor	percontāberis, percontābere		percontābitur	percontābimur	percontābiminī		percontābuntur
	perfect	percontātus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	percontātus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	percontātus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular				plural
subjunctive		first	second		third	first	second		third
active	present	perconter	percontēris, percontēre		percontētur	percontēmur	percontēminī		percontentur
	imperfect	percontārer	percontārēris, percontārēre		percontārētur	percontārēmur	percontārēminī		percontārentur
	perfect	percontātus + present active subjunctive of sum
	pluperfect	percontātus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular				plural
imperative		first	second		third	first	second		third
active	present	—	percontāre		—	—	percontāminī		—
active	future	—	percontātor		percontātor	—	—		percontantor
non-finite forms		infinitive				participle
non-finite forms		active		passive		active		passive
present		percontārī, percontārier¹		—		percontāns		—
future		percontātūrum esse		—		percontātūrus		percontandus
perfect		percontātum esse		—		percontātus		—
future perfect		percontātum fore		—		—		—
perfect potential		percontātūrum fuisse		—		—		—
verbal nouns		gerund					supine
		genitive	dative		accusative	ablative	accusative		ablative
		percontandī	percontandō		percontandum	percontandō	percontātum		percontātū

¹The present passive infinitive in -ier is a rare poetic form which is attested.

Derived terms

percontatiō
percontativus
percontātor
percontatorius
percontātrīx

Descendants

Old Sardinian: percontare, precontare, pregontare, pregontari
- Logudorese: pregontari
⇒ Vulgar Latin: *praecū̆nctāre (see there for further descendants)
→ Italian: percontare
→⇒ English: percontatorial

References

Joan Coromines, José A[ntonio] Pascual (1985) “preguntar”, in Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico [Critical Castilian and Hispanic Etymological Dictionary] (in Spanish), volume IV (Me–Re), Madrid: Gredos, →ISBN, page 635