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cultivo

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word cultivo

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1282–1287 Salimbene's chronicle More words from the 13th century
Ultimate origin
Latin colō#1
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin cultīvō
English cultivate
Spanish cultivar

Pronunciation

  • Ecclesiastical: [kulˈtiː.vo][1]

Forms

cultīvō (present infinitive cultīvāre, perfect active cultīvāvī, supine cultīvātum); first conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin cultīvus (“tilled”),[1][2] itself from cultus, the perfect passive participle of colō1 (“to till, cultivate”).[1][2] That verb goes back to Proto-Italic *kʷele/o- and Proto-Indo-European *kʷelh₁-e/o- (“to go round”).[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The MLW quotes it from a diploma of Frederick I, of “all lands cultivated and uncultivated” (de omnibus terris cultivatis et incultivatis); Salimbene's chronicle has it of land that twenty pairs of oxen cannot plough.[4][5]

Semantic evolution

It is a Medieval Latin word for tilling and sowing land,[4][6] recorded in Hungary in 1297 and in Poland about 1430, where an abbot has the monastery's estates tilled.[7][8] It passed into the Romance languages as French cultiver, Spanish cultivar and Italian coltivare.[1] English cultivate (1650s) comes from its past participle.[2]

Timeline

  • 1282–1287 – Salimbene uses it of ploughing land.[4][5]
  • 1297 – A Hungarian charter speaks of land that has been tilled.[7]
  • c. 1430 – A Polish record uses it of a monastery's estates.[8]
  • 1650s – English forms cultivate from its past participle.[2]

Meanings

Verb

  1. (Medieval Latin) To cultivate, till (land).[4][6][7]
  2. (Medieval Latin) To plough.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  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 d e Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  5. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  7. ^ a b c Bartal, Antal, et al. (1987–), Lexicon Latinitatis Medii Aevi Hungariae, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó; online ed. ELTE
  8. ^ a b Lexicon mediae et infimae Latinitatis Polonorum (1953–), Kraków: Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN; electronic ed. elexicon.scriptores.pl
Cite this entry

“Cultivo.” Etymologically, 7 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/la/cultivo. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·