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caulae

Etymology and origin of the Latin word caulae

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Confidence
Uncertain
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Lex Cornelia

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈkau̯.ɫae̯][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈkaːu̯.le][1]

Forms

caulae f pl (genitive caulārum); first declension[1]

Etymology

It may be an original diminutive Proto-Italic *kaχ-ela (“little hole, juncture”), as Pokorny proposed; for the further origin see cohum.[2][1][3] The OLD compares Oscan kaíla (“a sacred building”) and Old High German hag (“hedge”).[3][2] De Vaan finds a link with cōlum “strainer” unlikely, since there is no spelling ⟨cōlae⟩.[2] Varro instead derived it from cavus “hollow”.[4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from the Lex Cornelia of 81 BC, which mentions a railing at the temple of Saturn, and next from Lucretius.[2][3] Köbler dates Lucretius 96–55 BC.[6]

Semantic evolution

It meant a railing or lattice barrier, also the fence of a sheepfold, as Virgil's wolf growling at the fold.[3][5] In Lucretius, where it is most frequent, it meant holes, pores or passages of the body through which the soul escapes.[3][4] Varro has the spelling caullae.[3]

Timeline

  • 81 BC – The Lex Cornelia uses it of a railing.[3][2]
  • 96–55 BC – Lucretius uses it of the pores of the body.[3][6]
  • 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it of a sheepfold.[5][6]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A railing, lattice barrier; a sheepfold.[3][5]
  2. Holes, pores, passages.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  6. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
Cite this entry

“Caulae.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/caulae. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·