angiportum

Forms

angiportum n (genitive angiportī); second declension^[1] Also masculine angiportus, -ūs, which Gaffiot calls the better form.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is from angustus “narrow” and portus “passage, harbour”.^[1][2] De Vaan traces ⟨angustus⟩ to Proto-Italic *angosto-, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂emǵʰ-os-to- (“characterised by narrowness”), from the root of angō “to tighten”.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Gaffiot's earliest sources are Plautus' Pseudolus and Mostellaria.^[3] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant a narrow passage, alley, lane, a side street, as in Plautus, Terence and Cicero.^[2][3]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.^[3][5]
• 190–159 BC – Terence uses it.^[3][5]

Meanings

Noun

1. A narrow passage, alley, lane.^[2]

Related words

• angustus
• portus

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
4. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
5. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de