100s

Italian words from Latin words first recorded in the 2nd century

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

1. lotta

   125–175

   from Latin lucta

   It is inherited from Late Latin lucta (“wrestling; struggle”), from luctor (“to wrestle”). The Late Latin noun is probably a back-formation from the verb on the model of pugna (“fight”) beside pugnō…

2. cambiare

   155–170

   from Latin cambio

   It is inherited from Late Latin cambiō (“to exchange, barter”), a Late Latin verb of Gaulish origin. Apuleius uses it, and the glosses explain it as “to give one thing for another”. DELI points to a…

3. angelo

   160–220

   from Latin angelus

   It is inherited from Late Latin angelus (“angel”), borrowed from Ancient Greek ἄγγελος (ángelos, “messenger, envoy”). The Greek translators of the Old Testament used “ángelos” to render the Hebrew…

4. apprezzare

   160–220

   from Latin appretio

   It is inherited from Late Latin appretiāre (“to value, appraise”), a verb formed in Late Latin on Latin pretium (“price, value”) with the prefix ad-. The Late Latin verb is first found in…

5. difesa

   160–220

   from Latin defensa

   It is inherited from Late Latin dēfēnsa (“defence”), a word Tertullian uses in place of classical Latin dēfēnsiō. The Late Latin noun was formed on dēfēnsus, the past participle of dēfendō (“to ward…

6. barca

   170–230

   from Latin barca

   It is inherited from Late Latin barca (“boat”), first found in an inscription from Lusitania of about 200 AD and then in Isidore of Seville, who describes it as the boat that carried goods from…

7. peggiorare

   200–250

   from Latin peioro

   It is inherited from Late Latin peiōrō (“to make worse”), a verb formed from Latin pēior (“worse”). DEI finds the Late Latin verb in the jurist Paulus. Devoto adds that the Italian verb was…

8. spesa

   200–230

   from Latin expensa

   It is inherited from Late Latin expēnsa (“(money) spent”), short for a phrase with pecūnia (“money”): the feminine past participle of Latin expendō (“to weigh out, pay”), used as a noun. Classical…

9. sposare

   200

   from Latin sponso

   It is inherited from Late Latin spōnsāre (“to betroth, marry”), an intensive of spondeō (“to pledge, promise”). The GDLI derives it from spōnsus (“bridegroom”), the noun behind sposo. DEI holds that…

All Italian words inherited from Latin, by century →