cepa

Forms

cēpa f (genitive cēpae); first declension^[1] The OLD heads it caepa; a neuter cēpe or caepe, used in the nominative, accusative and ablative, is as old as Naevius and Ennius.^[2][3] Georges notes that most editions now print cepa and cepe.^[4]

Etymology

It is probably a loanword from an unknown language.^[3] The same word may be reflected in Ancient Greek κάπια (kápia, “onions”), which Hesychius records among the people of Ceryneia;^[3][2][1] Wiktionary considers an Anatolian source possible.^[1]

Ancient grammarians explained the name from caput (“head”), since the onion is nothing but a head.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found from Naevius on;^[3] in one of his comedies a speaker mentions “the gardener who first brought out the onion”.^[2][6]

Semantic evolution

In Classical Latin it is the ordinary word for the onion, Allium cepa.^[2][7] Lucilius calls it “tearful” and Columella “weeping”,^[2] Varro speaks of people whose words smelled of garlic and onion, and Gellius asks why the people of Pelusium did not eat it.^[2] Petronius uses it as a term of abuse.^[2]

Köbler records further spellings, such as cīpa, cēba and sēpa, and the senses leek, shallot and chive.^[6]

Timeline

• c. 235–200 BC – Naevius mentions the gardener who first brought out the onion.^[2][6]
• 204–169 BC – Ennius uses the neuter cēpe.^[2][3][6]
• c. 180–102 BC – Lucilius calls the onion “tearful”.^[2][6]
• before 66 AD – Petronius uses it as an insult.^[2][6]
• c. 560–636 AD – Isidore of Seville explains the name from caput.^[5][6]

Meanings

Noun

1. An onion, Allium cepa.^[2][7]
2. (as a term of abuse) Petronius: etiam tu rides, caepa cirrata? “are you laughing too, you curly onion?”^[2]

Usage notes

A medieval cepa meaning a tree stump, found in charters of 1039–1056, is a separate word of unclear origin.^[6] In Medieval Latin cepa is also a spelling of sēbum “tallow”.^[1][8]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ 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
4. ^ Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
5. ^ a b Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
6. ^ a b c d e f g h Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
7. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press