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febricito

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word febricito

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
14–37 AD, Celsus
Ultimate origin
Latin febris

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [fɛˈbriː.kɪ.toː][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [feˈbriː.t͡ʃi.to][1]

Forms

febrīcitō (present infinitive febrīcitāre, perfect active febrīcitāvī, supine febrīcitātum); first conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is a derivative of febris (“fever”) with the suffix -itō.[2][1] The TLL suggests it was formed from an obsolete adjective ⟨*febricitus⟩, comparing sollicitus.[3] The noun goes back to Proto-Italic *feχwri-, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰegʷʰ-ri- (“burning, fever”).[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in Celsus, meaning to have a fever.[3][5]

Semantic evolution

Lewis & Short mark it as post-Augustan;[5] Seneca, Columella and Martial use it, and the Vulgate has it in Matthew 8:14.[5] In Medieval Latin it also meant to tremble or shiver, and the participle was used as a noun for a fever patient.[6]

Timeline

  • 14–37 AD – Celsus uses it often of feverish patients.[3][7]
  • 4 BC–65 AD – Seneca uses it.[5][7]
  • 1st century AD – Columella uses it.[5][7]
  • 40–102/103 AD – Martial uses it.[5][7]
  • 390–406 AD – The Vulgate uses it in Matthew 8:14.[5][7]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To have a fever, be feverish.[2][5]
  2. (Medieval Latin) To tremble, shiver.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  4. ^ 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 c d e f g h Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  7. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
Cite this entry

“Febricito.” Etymologically, 25 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/febricito. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·