Etymologically
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cultus

Etymology and origin of the Latin word cultus

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Plautus
Ultimate origin
Latin (colō)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈkʊɫ.tʊs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈkul.tus][1]

Forms

cultus m (genitive cultūs); fourth declension[1]

Etymology

It is from colō “to till, tend, dwell, worship” with the suffix of action nouns -tus.[2][3][4] Plautus has an old dative ⟨cultu⟩.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's first source is Plautus, whom he dates c. 250–184 BC; the OLD notes the dative cultu in Plautus' Rudens.[5][2]

Semantic evolution

Its senses follow those of colō: it meant dwelling in a place, the tilling of the ground, as Cicero's farmers' labour on rocky land, and the cultivation of plants and tending of animals.[2][3] It meant the training or education of a person, personal care and upkeep, and the adorning or dressing of a person, so that it also came to mean style of dress, finery and equipment, as in Sallust and Tacitus.[2][4] It meant a mode or standard of living, refinement, a civilized condition, and in a bad sense luxury.[2] From Cicero onwards it meant the worship of a god, an act or form of worship, and devotion or loyalty to a person.[2][4]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant worship, reverence and cult.[6] In Medieval Latin it also meant land brought under cultivation and custom or habit.[7] English cult came through French culte in the 17th century, first meaning “worship, homage”.[8]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus has the word.[5][2]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of tilling, of education and of worship.[2][5]
  • 86–34 BC – Sallust uses it of dress and finery.[2][5]
  • 1610s – English cult is recorded, from French culte.[8]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Dwelling, habitation.[2]
  2. The tilling of the ground; the cultivation of plants; the tending of animals.[2][3]
  3. Training, education.[2]
  4. Personal care and upkeep; care of a house.[2]
  5. Adornment, dress, style of dress; finery; equipment.[2][4]
  6. (rhetoric) Stylistic ornament, polish.[2]
  7. A way or standard of living; refinement, civilization; luxury.[2]
  8. The worship of a god; a form of worship, cult.[2][4]
  9. Devotion, loyalty, respect.[2]
  10. (Medieval Latin) Land brought under cultivation; custom.[7]

Word family

  • incultus

Usage notes

Cultus, -a, -um, the participle of colō, is an adjective meaning tilled, well cared for, smart, refined, as Varro's ager cultior “better cultivated land”.[2][4]

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b c d e f Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  7. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
Cite this entry

“Cultus.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/cultus. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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