Etymologically
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cavus

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈka.wʊs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈkaː.vus][1]

Forms

cavus (feminine cava, neuter cavum, comparative cavior); first/second-declension adjective[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *kawo-, from *kowó-, which de Vaan derives from Proto-Indo-European *ḱouH-ó- (“hollow”).[2] Cognate with Old Irish cúa (“hollow”), Breton keo (“cave”) and Ancient Greek κόοι (kóoi, “hollows”), and further with Ancient Greek κοῖλος (koîlos, “hollow”).[2][3] If it belongs with words for swelling, such as Ancient Greek κύαρ (kúar, “hole”), the root is *ḱuH- “to swell”.[2][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Ennius, who speaks of a hollow cave.[2][3] Köbler gives Plautus.[4] Köbler dates Ennius 204–169 BC.[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant hollow or concave, as of a sling or the palm of the hand, hollowed out like a valley, hollow inside, as of a tree or a drum, and full of caves, as of mountains.[3][5] The masculine and neuter were used as nouns for a hole or cavity.[5][4]

Its derivatives include cavō “to hollow out”, caverna and cavea, and the neuter plural of cavea gave Old French and English cave.[6] Late Latin cavitās gave English cavity.[6] It survives in Italian cavo and Portuguese cova (“pit”).[1]

Timeline

  • 204–169 BC – Ennius speaks of a hollow cave.[3][4]
  • 96–55 BC – Lucretius speaks of hollow mountains.[3][4]
  • 116–27 BC – Varro uses the noun cavus “hole”.[5][4]
  • early 13th century – English cave is recorded.[6]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. hollow, concave.[3]
  2. Hollowed out (into a valley).[3]
  3. Hollow inside.[3]
  4. Full of caves.[3]

Noun

  1. cavus, cavum, a hole, cavity.[5]

Word family

  • cavaedium
  • cavāticus
  • cavea
  • caverna
  • cavitās
  • cavō
  • concavus
  • recavus
  • succavus
  • cavāmen
  • cavātiō
  • cavātor
  • cavātūra
  • cavātus
  • caveālis
  • caveātus
  • caveola
  • cavernātim
  • cavernō
  • English cave
  • English cavity

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d 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 Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  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 Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com