equa

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈɛ.kʷa]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈɛː.kʷa]^[1]

Forms

equa f (genitive equae, masculine equus); first declension^[1] The dative and ablative plural is ordinarily equīs, equābus is also found.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is the feminine of equus “horse”.^[4][1] De Vaan traces ⟨equus⟩ to Proto-Italic *ekwo-, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁éḱwos (“horse”).^[5] The Thesaurus compares Sanskrit अश्वा (áśvā, “mare”).^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's earliest source is Plautus, whom he dates c. 250–184 BC.^[7]

Semantic evolution

It was a mare, as in Varro, Cicero, Virgil and Horace.^[4][3]

British Medieval Latin used it for a mare, a brood mare, and a wild mare.^[8]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.^[7]
• 116–27 BC – Varro uses it.^[3][7]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it.^[3][7]

Meanings

Noun

1. A mare.^[4]

Word family

• equola

Related words

• equus
• equīnus

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
3. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
6. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
7. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
8. ^ 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