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cirrus

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word cirrus

Confidence
Unknown
First attested
116–27 BC Varro, quoted by Nonius More words from the 2nd century BC

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ˈkɪr.rʊs][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [ˈt͡ʃir.rus][1]

Forms

cirrus m (genitive cirrī); second declension[1]

Etymology

The origin is unknown.[2][3][1] The TLL mentions comparisons with Old High German hirsi (“millet”) and with crista (“crest”);[4] Walde, doubtfully, also thought of the Old High German word, with a basic sense “tuft”.[5] Wiktionary compares Proto-Germanic *hērą (“hair”).[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is a fragment of Varro quoted by Nonius, where it means a curl of hair.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

Martial, Juvenal and Suetonius use it of curls and locks of hair.[2] Pliny the Elder extends it to the crest of some birds, to tuft-like growths on plants and to the arms of polyps, and Martial uses it of the beard of an oyster.[2][6] Vegetius uses it of a horse's forelock, and Lewis & Short also give the sense of a fringe on a tunic.[6]

It survives in Italian cirro and Spanish cerro.[1] English borrowed it in 1708 for a curl-like tuft; since 1803 it has also named a light, fleecy cloud.[7]

Timeline

  • 116–27 BC – Varro, quoted by Nonius, uses it for a curl.[2][3]
  • 23/24–79 AD – Pliny the Elder applies it to birds' crests, growths on plants and the arms of polyps.[2][6][3]
  • c. 67–c. 127 AD – Juvenal uses it of a twisted lock of hair.[2][3]
  • c. 400 AD – Vegetius uses it of a horse's forelock.[6][3]
  • 1708 – English borrows it as cirrus.[7]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A curl or lock of hair, a ringlet.[2][6]
  2. A crest or tuft on a bird's head.[2][6]
  3. A tuft-like growth on a plant.[2][6]
  4. (plural) The tentacles of a cuttlefish or polyp; the beard of an oyster.[2][6]
  5. The forelock of a horse.[6]
  6. A fringe on a garment.[6][1]

Word family

  • cirrātus
  • cirrītus
  • English cirrus

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  4. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  5. ^ Walde, Alois (1906), Lateinisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
Cite this entry

“Cirrus.” Etymologically, 13 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/la/cirrus. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·