200–101 BC

Catalan words from Latin words first recorded in the 2nd century BC

9 Catalan words inherited from a Latin word whose earliest known written record dates from the 2nd century BC, earliest Latin record first.

1. polpa

   195 BC–149 BC

   from Latin pulpa

   It is inherited from Latin pulpa (“flesh, the fleshy parts; pulp of fruit”). The same Latin word is Romanian pulpă, Italian polpa, Old Occitan polpa, Portuguese polpa and Old French poupe; Spanish…

2. cosí

   166 BC–160 BC

   from Latin consobrinus

   It is inherited from Latin cōnsobrīnus (“cousin, child of a mother's sister”), altered in a way that is not fully explained. Coromines thinks the phrase ⟨consobrinus primus⟩ “first cousin” was…

3. puny

   166 BC–160 BC

   from Latin pugnus

   It is inherited from Latin pugnus (“fist”). The same Latin word is Occitan ponh, Spanish puño, Portuguese punho, French poing, Italian pugno and Romanian pumn. Wiktionary takes the Latin noun back…

4. cercle

   140 BC–86 BC

   from Latin circulus

   It is inherited from Old Catalan cercle, which is inherited from Latin circulus (“circle; hoop”). The Latin word is a diminutive of circus (“circle”), formed with the suffix -ulus. The same Latin…

5. fre

   140 BC–86 BC

   from Latin frenum

   It is inherited from Latin frēnum (“bridle, bit”). The oldest record keeps the final /n/ in the spelling ⟨fren⟩. The same Latin word is Occitan fren, French frein, Spanish freno, Italian freno…

6. curt

   131 BC–103 BC

   from Latin curtus

   It is inherited from Latin curtus (“docked, cut short; incomplete”). The same Latin word is French court, Occitan cort, Italian corto, Spanish corto and Portuguese curto; Romanian scurt owes its s-…

7. conill

   116 BC–27 BC

   from Latin cuniculus

   It is inherited from Latin cunīculus (“rabbit; burrow, underground passage”). The same Latin word is Occitan conilh, Old French conil, Italian coniglio, Spanish conejo and Portuguese coelho…

8. llegum

   116 BC–27 BC

   from Latin legumen

   It is inherited from Old Catalan legum, the medieval spelling, which is inherited from Latin legūmen (“pulse, leguminous plant”). The same Latin word is Occitan legum, Old French legun, Italian…

9. lletuga

   116 BC–27 BC

   from Latin lactuca

   It is inherited from Latin lactūca (“lettuce”). The Latin word is derived from lac (“milk”) with an adjective suffix -ūcus; Varro and Pliny already explained the name by the milky juice of the…

All Catalan words inherited from Latin, by century →