Etymologically
Log in

famosus

Etymology and origin of the Latin word famosus

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Plautus
Ultimate origin
Latin (fāma)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [faːˈmoː.sʊs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [faˈmɔː.s̬us][1]

Forms

fāmōsus (feminine fāmōsa, neuter fāmōsum, superlative fāmōsissimus); first/second-declension adjective[1]

Etymology

It is from fāma “talk, report, fame” with the suffix -ōsus.[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is from Plautus, of the ill spoken of.[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[4]

Semantic evolution

From Plautus it meant ill spoken of, notorious, infamous, as in Cicero, and in Lucilius notorious for immorality.[2][5] In Horace it meant much talked of, famous, a sense Lewis and Short call not ante-Augustan, and defamatory, libellous, and in law involving infamy.[2][6] In Pliny it meant conferring renown.[2]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant renowned, famous.[7] Medieval Latin used it for a person suspected of a crime.[8] It survives in Italian and Spanish famoso and French fameux, and Anglo-French famous gave English famous in the late 14th century, “renowned”, also “notorious”.[1][3]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of the notorious.[2][4]
  • c. 180–102 BC – Lucilius uses it of immorality.[2][4]
  • 65–8 BC – Horace uses it of the famous and the libellous.[2][4]
  • late 14th century – English famous is recorded.[3]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Much talked of, famous.[2]
  2. Notorious, infamous; of ill fame.[2]
  3. Defamatory, libellous.[2]
  4. Conferring renown.[2]
  5. (Medieval Latin) Suspected of a crime.[8]

Word family

  • famositas

References

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

“Famosus.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/famosus. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·