Etymologically

canalicius

Etymology and origin of the Latin word canalicius

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Pliny the Elder
Ultimate origin
Ancient Greek (κάννα)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin canna
Latin canalis
Latin canalicius

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ka.naːˈlɪ.ki.ʊs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ka.naˈliː.t͡ʃi.us][1]

Forms

canālicius (feminine canālicia, neuter canālicium); first/second-declension adjective[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin canālis (“channel, shaft”) + -icius.[2][1] ⟨canālis⟩ is from ⟨*cannālis⟩, from canna (“reed, cane”), a borrowing of Ancient Greek κάννα (kánna, “reed”).[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its source is Pliny the Elder, aurum canālicium.[3][4][5] Köbler dates Pliny 23/24–79 AD.[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant derived from shafts, of gold dug out of mine shafts, the same as canāliēnsis, and Gaffiot takes aurum canālicium as a vein of a gold mine.[2][5][3]

Timeline

  • 23/24–79 AD – Pliny the Elder uses it.[3][4]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Derived from shafts (of gold).[2][5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  4. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Canalicius.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/canalicius. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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