Etymologically

endivia

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 24 October 2026 at 05:58. This address is a permanent link to this version.

Forms

endīvia f (genitive endīviae); first declension[1][2] Medieval spellings include endiviva and andivia.[3][4]

Etymology

The origin is unclear.[5] The DMLBS refers it to Late Latin intibum (“endive, chicory”),[4] and the MLW compares Ancient Greek ἐντύβιον (entúbion).[3] Etymonline gives the Latin source as intibus.[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

It first appears in Caelius Aurelianus in the 5th century AD,[5] as the name of a plant whose decoction he prescribes beside one of intybus; the TLL asks whether the word is there a gloss on intybus that crept into the text.[2]

Semantic evolution

In medieval Latin it is the usual name of endive and chicory,[3][4] also called scariola.[3] Albertus Magnus distinguishes a wild and a garden kind.[3] English glosses render it as endyve.[4] In the Renaissance Platina counted endive among the lettuces, noting that the ancients never mention the name.[7]

Timeline

  • 5th century AD – Caelius Aurelianus names it in a remedy.[2][5]
  • 13th century – Albertus Magnus describes its wild and garden species.[3][5]
  • late 14th century – English borrows endive through Old French.[6]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Endive, chicory.[3][4][7]

References

  1. ^ Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
  2. ^ a b c Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  4. ^ a b c d e 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
  5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  7. ^ a b Ramminger, Johann, Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700, www.neulatein.de