vello

Forms

vello m (plural vellos)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin villus (“shaggy hair; nap of cloth”).^[2][3][4][1] Corominas notes that the word must have been in use from the beginning, as its derivatives vellado and velloso are recorded early; the BDELC dates them 1220–1250 and c. 1250.^[2][3]

The Latin word survives in Sardinian biddu (“wool”), and its derivatives gave Italian velluto and French velu.^[5] Spitzer and Meyer-Lübke proposed that bellaco “rogue” is also a derivative of this word, a view García de Diego reports.^[6][5]

The Latin noun is probably a dialect form of vellus (“fleece”).^[7][1] Gómez de Silva derives it from Indo-European *wel-nes- (“wool”), and relates it to lana and franela.^[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

Corominas's first record is Alfonso de Palencia's Latin–Spanish dictionary of 1490: el primer vello que nasce en la barba “the first down that grows on the beard”, and velloso, cobierto de vello “hairy, covered with down”.^[2][3] The DEMel lists a form uello in the Glosas Emilianenses, and a vello in a document of 1254 from Oviedo.^[9]

Semantic evolution

Nebrija distinguishes vello de pelos sotiles, Latin villus, from vello de barva, Latin lanugo.^[10] Covarrubias in 1611 defines it as the fine hair that grows on the body, as distinct from the hair of the head, says that hairier men were thought rich or lustful, that Romans who removed their body hair were held effeminate, and that fruits such as quinces and peaches have a kind of down.^[11] The Diccionario de Autoridades adds the hair of animals, and quotes Cervantes's piernas … llenas de vello “legs full of hair”.^[12][13] The Academy added the down of fruits and plants in 1817, and the DLE keeps these two senses.^[14][4] In Mexico City Molina's vocabulary of 1571 has el bello sotil de los labrios “the fine down of the lips”.^[15]

Timeline

• c. 950 – the DEMel lists uello in the Glosas Emilianenses.^[9]
• 1220–1250 – the derivative vellado “hairy”.^[3]
• c. 1250 – the derivative velloso.^[3]
• 1490 – first record of the noun, in Alfonso de Palencia.^[2][3]
• c. 1495 – Nebrija gives Latin villus and lanugo.^[10]
• 1571 – first record from the Americas, in Mexico City.^[15]
• 1611 – Covarrubias distinguishes vello from cabello.^[11]
• 1739 – the Diccionario de Autoridades records the sense “hair of animals”.^[12]
• 1817 – the Academy adds the down of fruits and plants.^[14]
• 1884 – the Academy's dictionary first gives the etymology, Latin villus.^[16]

Meanings

Noun

1. body hair: the short, soft hair that grows on parts of the human body, as distinct from that of the head and beard: Tiene muy poco vello en los brazos.^[4][1]
2. down, fuzz: the soft covering of some fruits and plants.^[4][17]

Word family

• velloso
• velludo
• vellosidad

Related words

• vellocino
• vellón
• lana

Usage notes

In Cantabria vello or bello is also a separate word meaning “calf”, from Latin vitulus.^[18]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Corominas, Joan; Pascual, José A. (1980–1991), Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico, 6 vols., Madrid: Gredos, p. 5, 761
3. ^ a b c d e f Corominas, Joan (1973), Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua castellana, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. vello
4. ^ a b c d Real Academia Española; Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española (2014–), Diccionario de la lengua española, 23rd ed., online version 23.8, https://dle.rae.es, p. s.v. vello
5. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter, p. 9335
6. ^ García de Diego, Vicente (1985), Diccionario etimológico español e hispánico, 2nd ed., Madrid: Espasa-Calpe (1st ed. 1954), p. s.v. villus
7. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
8. ^ Gómez de Silva, Guido (1988), Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua española, México: Fondo de Cultura Económica / El Colegio de México, p. s.v. vello
9. ^ a b Diccionario del Español Medieval electrónico (DEMel), data publication 2026 (CC BY-SA), Universität Rostock, p. s.v. vello
10. ^ a b Lleal, Coloma (dir.), DICCA-XV: Diccionario del castellano del siglo XV en la Corona de Aragón, Barcelona: Universitat de Barcelona, Grup d'Estudis d'Història de la Llengua (GHCL), https://ghcl.ub.edu/diccaxv, p. s.v. vello
11. ^ a b Covarrubias Orozco, Sebastián de (1611), Tesoro de la lengua castellana o española, Madrid: Luis Sánchez (Biblioteca Wordkers transcription, CC BY 4.0), p. 1375
12. ^ a b Real Academia Española (1726–1739), Diccionario de la lengua castellana (Diccionario de Autoridades), 6 vols., Madrid: Francisco del Hierro, p. 6, 436
13. ^ Cejador y Frauca, Julio (1905–1906), La lengua de Cervantes: gramática y diccionario de la lengua castellana en El ingenioso hidalgo don Quijote de la Mancha, 2 vols., Madrid: Jaime Ratés, p. 1145
14. ^ a b Real Academia Española (1817), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 5th ed., Madrid: Imprenta Real, p. 881
15. ^ a b Boyd-Bowman, Peter (2003), Léxico hispanoamericano 1493–1993, ed. Ray Harris-Northall and John J. Nitti, New York: Hispanic Seminary of Medieval Studies, p. s.v. vello
16. ^ Real Academia Española (1884), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 12th ed., Madrid: Imprenta de D. Gregorio Hernando (the first Academy edition with etymologies), p. 1076
17. ^ Moliner, María (2007), Diccionario de uso del español, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. vello
18. ^ García de Diego, Vicente (1985), Diccionario etimológico español e hispánico, 2nd ed., Madrid: Espasa-Calpe (1st ed. 1954), p. s.v. vitulus