caelo

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈkae̯.ɫoː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈt͡ʃɛː.lo]^[1]

Forms

caelō (present infinitive caelāre, perfect active caelāvī, supine caelātum); first conjugation^[1] An inscription has cailāvit.^[2] It is especially frequent in the perfect participle caelātus.^[2]

Etymology

It is from caelum “engraving tool, chisel” with the verb suffix ⟨-ō⟩.^[2][3][4] Wiktionary traces it to Proto-Indo-European *keh₂id- (“to cut, hew”), the root of caedō.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is from Ennius.^[2] Köbler dates Ennius 204–169 BC.^[5]

Semantic evolution

Corresponding to Ancient Greek τορεύω (toreúō), it meant to engrave in relief, emboss, chase metal, especially silver, or ivory, as in Cicero's caelāre argentō and Virgil's in aurō “on gold”; to depict in embossed or engraved work, as in Cicero; and to adorn with embroidery.^[2][4][6] Its derivatives include caelātor “engraver” and caelātūra “engraving”.^[1]

Timeline

• 204–169 BC – Ennius uses it.^[2][5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of silver work.^[6][5]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it of gold.^[6][5]

Meanings

Verb

1. To emboss, engrave, chase (metal).^[2]
2. To depict in engraved work.^[2]
3. To adorn with embroidery.^[2]

Word family

• caelāmen
• caelātor
• caelātum
• caelātura

Related words

• caelum
• caedō

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.