feta

Forms

fēta f (genitive fētae); first declension^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin fētus (“having recently given birth”), its feminine used as a noun.^[1][2][3] The adjective goes back to Proto-Italic *fēto- and Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-to- (“having given birth”); de Vaan considers it probably an inner-Italic formation, like fēcundus.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan gives Plautus as its first author; it means a female animal that has just given birth.^[3][2][4]

Semantic evolution

The OLD also allows the sense of a female that is pregnant.^[2] Classical Latin used it of a mother animal in general and especially of a ewe with her lamb.^[1] Wiktionary records the sense “sheep” for pre-classical and Medieval Latin.^[1]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus has the word.^[3][4]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. A female animal (or woman) that has just given birth; also one that is pregnant.^[2][1]
2. A mother sheep, a ewe with lamb.^[1]
3. (pre-classical, Medieval Latin) A sheep.^[1]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d 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 Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de