Etymologically
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villa

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 12:43. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈvɪlə/[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Italian villa (“country house, farm”),[2][3][4] partly also directly borrowed from Latin villa (“country house, farm”),[5][6] related to vicus (“village, group of houses”),[2][3] from PIE Proto-Indo-European *weik- (“clan”).[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A country mansion in Italy or other continental countries: 1611; of the ancient Romans, 1615.[7][2][4]

Semantic evolution

Of residences in England it is from 1711, properly a country house of some size and architectural pretension.[7][3] A handsome residence in the suburbs of a town is from the 18th century (1755),[5][7] and the word came down in the world to mean any detached or semi-detached suburban house.[3][8] A holiday home abroad is a modern British use.[8]

Timeline

  • 1611 – an Italian country house.[7][2]
  • 1615 – a Roman country house.[7]
  • 1711 – in English use.[7]
  • 1755 – a handsome suburban house.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A large country house with grounds, especially in ancient Rome.
  2. A rented holiday house, especially in southern Europe.
  3. (British) A detached or semi-detached house in a residential area.

Word family

  • villalike
  • villadom

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  8. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins