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ferox

Etymology and origin of the Latin word ferox

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Plautus
Ultimate origin
Proto-Indo-European (*ǵʰwer-)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈfɛ.roːks][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈfɛː.roks][1]

Forms

ferōx (genitive ferōcis, comparative ferōcior, superlative ferōcissimus, adverb ferōciter); third-declension one-termination adjective[1]

Etymology

It is from ferus “wild” with the suffix -ōx.[2][3][1] Ferus goes back to Proto-Italic *χwero-, Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰwer- (“wild animal”).[3] Wiktionary and Etymonline take the suffix from Proto-Indo-European *h₃ekʷ- (“to see”), so “wild-looking”.[1][4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Plautus, and Köbler's first source is Ennius.[3][5] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC and Ennius 204–169 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant violent, savage, fierce, as Terence's question whether someone is fierce because he rules over beasts, and fierce in war, warlike, as Accius' enemy.[2] Of spirit it meant bold, defiant, as Catullus' Theseus and Sallust's young men, and in a bad sense arrogant, presumptuous, as in Plautus.[2] Gaffiot gives impetuous, bold, as Cicero's ferōx es nātūrā.[6]

In Medieval Latin it meant of fierce temper, mettlesome.[7] It survives in Italian feroce and Spanish feroz.[1] English ferocious was formed from its stem in the 1640s.[4]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of arrogance.[2][5]
  • 190–159 BC – Terence uses it of fierceness.[2][5]
  • 81/79–52/50 BC – Catullus uses it of Theseus.[2][5]
  • 1640s – English ferocious is recorded.[4]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Fierce, savage.[2]
  2. Warlike.[2]
  3. Bold, defiant.[2]
  4. Arrogant, presumptuous.[2]

Word family

  • ferōcia
  • ferōciō
  • ferōcitās
  • ferōculus
  • praeferōx
  • ferōciter

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  4. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  7. ^ 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
Cite this entry

“Ferox.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/ferox. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·