caballico

Forms

caballicō (present infinitive caballicāre, perfect active caballicāvī, supine caballicātum); first conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin caballus (“horse”) + -icō.^[1][2][3] It continues in the Romance languages, in Italian cavalcare, French chevaucher and Spanish cabalgar.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Wiktionary dates it from the early 6th century, in Anthimus and the Salic law;^[1] Anthimus (511 AD) uses it of riding on horseback.^[3][4][5]

Semantic evolution

The Salic law uses it of riding another man's horse without the owner's consent,^[2][6] and the Edict of Rothari also has it.^[6] In Medieval Latin it meant to ride or travel on horseback, to perform a messenger service on horseback, and, with an object, to ride a horse.^[7] Niermeyer records the spellings cavallicare, cabalcare and cavalcare.^[7] Wiktionary lists Sardinian and Italian descendants.^[1]

Timeline

• 511 AD – Anthimus uses it of riding.^[3][5]
• 801 – Alcuin, in a letter, speaks of the saddle on which he used to ride.^[8]

Meanings

Verb

1. (Late Latin, intransitive) To ride on horseback.^[3][4][1]
2. (Medieval Latin) To travel on horseback.^[7][8]
3. (Medieval Latin) To perform a messenger service on horseback.^[7]
4. (transitive) To ride a horse.^[7][9][6]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
3. ^ a b c d Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
4. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
5. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b c Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
7. ^ a b c d e Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
8. ^ a b 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
9. ^ Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier