Etymologically
Log in

ecastor

History Permalink

Etymology and origin of the Latin word ecastor

Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
c. 250–184 BC, Plautus
Ultimate origin
Latin (Castor)

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [eːˈkas.tɔr][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [eˈkas.tor][1]

Forms

ēcastor (interjection)[2][1] In Plautus and Terence the first syllable is apparently short.[2]

Etymology

It is a compound of the interjection ē and Castor, “by Castor”, made like edepol “by Pollux”.[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's first source is Plautus,[4] who uses it very often, as in the Amphitruo “by Castor, I am learning by experience how much you value your wife”.[3]

Semantic evolution

It is an oath, “by Castor!”, expressing surprise, annoyance or emphasis.[2][1] The OLD says it was apparently used only by women;[2][3] Lewis & Short note that it was frequent above all among women, but not only among them, as Gellius and Charisius claimed.[2][3] Terence has it split by tmesis in per ecastor scitus puer “a very fine boy, by Castor”.[3] A form with the pronoun prefixed, mēcastor, is also used.[3]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus.[3][4]
  • 190–159 BC – Terence.[2][3][4]
  • c. 165 AD – Gellius says only women swore by Castor.[3][4]

Meanings

Interjection

  1. By Castor! (an oath, chiefly of women).[2][3][1]

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 Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
Cite this entry

“Ecastor.” Etymologically, 19 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/ecastor. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·