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aromaticus

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word aromaticus

Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
360 Pelagonius
Borrowed from
Ancient Greek ἀρωματικός
Ultimate origin
Ancient Greek ἀρωματικός
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin arōmaticus
English aromatic

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [a.roːˈma.tɪ.kʊs][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [a.roˈmaː.ti.kus][1]

Forms

arōmaticus (feminine arōmatica, neuter arōmaticum); first/second-declension adjective[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek ἀρωματικός (arōmatikós),[1][2][3][4] from ἄρωμα (árōma, “spice”).[5] The TLL treats it as a derivative of the Latin loanword aroma.[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in veterinary and medical texts, among them Pelagonius' work on horse medicine, meaning fragrant with spices.[6][7][8]

Semantic evolution

In Late Latin it meant smelling of spices or relating to spices,[6] and the neuter plural was used for spices themselves in the Historia Augusta.[7] Sedulius speaks of a “spicy harvest”, and Venantius Fortunatus of a fragrant offering poured on the altar.[6]

Medieval Latin kept the senses sweet-smelling[9][3] and, in pharmacy, containing spices;[3] the neuter became a noun for a spice, and in British sources the masculine named a kind of tree.[4] English aromatic comes from it.[5]

Timeline

  • 360 AD – Pelagonius uses it in his work on veterinary medicine.[6][7][8]
  • first half of the 5th century AD – Sedulius writes of a spicy harvest.[6][2][8]
  • 536–c. 610 AD – Venantius Fortunatus describes a fragrant offering.[6][8]
  • c. 1400 – Borrowed into English as aromatyk.[5]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Aromatic, fragrant, smelling of spices.[2][6][1]
  2. Made of spices; containing spices.[2][3]

Noun

  1. (neuter, chiefly plural) A spice.[7][4]
  2. (Medieval Latin, masculine) A kind of tree.[4]

Word family

  • arōmaticum

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  3. ^ a b c d Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  4. ^ a b c d Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  7. ^ a b c d Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
  8. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  9. ^ Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill

Borrowed into

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Aromaticus.” Etymologically, 7 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/la/aromaticus. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

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