corbita

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [kɔrˈbiː.ta]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [korˈbiː.ta]^[1]

Forms

corbīta f (genitive corbītae); first declension^[1] Also nāvis corbīta.^[2]

Etymology

It is short for ⟨corbīta nāvis⟩, from ⟨*corbītus⟩, from corbis “basket”.^[2][1][3] De Vaan reconstructs ⟨corbis⟩ as Proto-Italic ⟨*k(o)rfi-⟩, perhaps cognate with Lithuanian karbas (“basket”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's earliest source is Plautus, and Gaffiot cites his Poenulus.^[5][6] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant a slow cargo ship, a merchant vessel, as in Plautus and Cicero.^[2][6]

British Medieval Latin used it for a cargo ship.^[7]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.^[6][5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it.^[6][5]

Meanings

Noun

1. A slow cargo ship, merchantman.^[2][6]

Related words

• corbis
• nāvis

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b c d e Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
7. ^ 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