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ecce

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word ecce

Confidence
Probable
Formation
Compound
First attested
c. 250–184 BC, Plautus
Ultimate origin
Proto-Indo-European (*h₁e-,*-ḱe)

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ˈɛk.kɛ][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [ˈɛt.t͡ʃe][1]

Forms

ecce [1]

Etymology

It is probably formed from Latin ec- + -ce, the deictic particle also found in hic.[2][1][3] De Vaan reconstructs Proto-Italic *ek + Proto-Italic *ke: the pronoun Proto-Indo-European *h₁e- (“he”) of is, extended with ⟨*k⟩, plus Proto-Indo-European *-ḱe.[4] Italic ⟨*ek(e)⟩ was at first uninflected and became an inflected pronoun in Sabellic: Oscan ekúk, Umbrian eso (“this”).[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Plautus,[4] who has ecce autem commodum aperītur foris, “but look, the door is opening just now”, and ubi tū es? – ecce mē, “where are you? – here I am”.[2]

Semantic evolution

Ecce calls attention to something seen, “look! behold!”, with the accusative in early Latin (ecce mē) and with the nominative from Cicero on (Virgil: deus, ecce deus!, “the god, behold the god!”).[2] It points out a fact or idea, “mark this!”, a fresh item in a list, and in vivid narrative a sudden event, “lo and behold!”.[2] Combined with pronouns it gives eccum, eccam, eccillum and similar forms, “here he is”.[2][4][1]

In Church Latin it is “behold”;[5] Aldhelm writes hic est ecce meus dīlēctus fīlius, “behold, this is my beloved son”, after Matthew.[6] Wiktionary compares its use for something present with French voici and Italian ecco.[1]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus: ecce mē.[2][7]
  • 190–159 BC – Terence still uses it with the accusative.[2][7]
  • 70–19 BC – Virgil: deus, ecce deus!.[2][7]

Meanings

Interjection

  1. behold! look! see!;[2][1][5] here I am, here it is.[2][1]
  2. Mark this! (calling attention to a fact or idea).[2]
  3. And then (introducing a fresh item in a list).[2]
  4. lo and behold! (introducing a sudden event).[2]

Word family

  • ecca
  • eccam
  • eccistum
  • eccum
  • eccās
  • eccillum
  • eccistam
  • eccōs
  • ellam

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m 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. ^ a b c d 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 Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  6. ^ 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
  7. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
Cite this entry

“Ecce.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/ecce. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·