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cavo

Etymology and origin of the Latin word cavo

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Lucretius
Ultimate origin
Proto-Indo-European (*ḱowH-)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin cavus
Latin cavo

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈka.woː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈkaː.vo][1]

Forms

cavō (present infinitive cavāre, perfect active cavāvī, supine cavātum); first conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin cavus (“hollow”) + -ō.[2][1] De Vaan reconstructs ⟨cavus⟩ as Proto-Italic ⟨*kawo-⟩ from ⟨*kowó-⟩, Proto-Indo-European *ḱowH-ó- (“hollow”), cognate with Old Irish cúa (“hollow”) and Ancient Greek κοῖλος (koîlos, “hollow”).[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Gaffiot cites Lucretius' lapidem cavāre “to hollow a stone”.[4] Köbler dates Lucretius 96–55 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to make hollow, hollow out, as of stone in Lucretius; to make a hole in, pierce, and to make by hollowing, as of a boat, in Virgil; to give a hollow shape; and in Apuleius to carve in relief.[2][4] Lewis & Short note that it is not used by Cicero.[6]

It survives as Italian, Spanish and Portuguese cavare, cavar “to dig”.[1]

Timeline

  • 96–55 BC – Lucretius uses it of hollowing stone.[4][5]
  • 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it of hollowing and piercing.[2][5]
  • c. 125–175 AD – Apuleius uses it of carving in relief.[2][5]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To hollow out, make concave.[2][6]
  2. To pierce, make a hole in.[2]
  3. To make by hollowing.[2]
  4. To carve in relief.[2]

Word family

  • excavō
  • cavāmen
  • cavātus
  • caverna
  • cavernātim
  • cavernō
  • cavernōsus
  • cavernula
  • cavōsitas
  • cavus
  • cavea
  • English cave

References

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

“Cavo.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/cavo. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·