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flaccus

Etymology and origin of the Latin word flaccus

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Confidence
Unknown
First attested
Varro

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈfɫak.kʊs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈflak.kus][1]

Forms

flaccus (feminine flacca, neuter flaccum); first/second-declension adjective[1]

Etymology

It has no etymology.[2] It belongs to a group of adjectives with an expressive internal geminate, such as crassus and gibber, so from *flako- or *flāko-.[2][1] De Vaan discards all explanations that assume a change of *ml- to ⟨fl⟩, and Pokorny's root *bʰelāg- is only proposed.[2][3] The OED suggests it is imitative.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Varro, who uses it of drooping ears.[2][5] Köbler dates Varro 116–27 BC.[3]

Semantic evolution

Of ears it meant drooping, floppy, and of persons flap-eared, as Cicero's question whether the gods are flap-eared like people.[6][7] Pliny the Elder notes that the cognomen Flaccus came from such ears; it was common in the Valerian, Cornelian and Horatian families, the poet Horace being Quintus Horatius Flaccus.[5] Its derivatives were flaccēre “to lose strength” and flaccidus “drooping, weak”.[2]

It survives in Italian fiacco “weak” and Spanish flaco “thin”.[1] English flaccid comes from flaccidus, recorded in the 1610s.[4]

Timeline

  • 116–27 BC – Varro uses it of ears.[5][3]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of flap-eared people.[5][3]
  • 1610s – English flaccid is recorded.[4]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. (of ears) Drooping, floppy.[6]
  2. (of persons) Flap-eared.[6]

Word family

  • flacceō
  • flaccēscō
  • flaccidus
  • English flaccid

Usage notes

Flaccus is also a Roman cognomen, above all of the poet Horace.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  3. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  4. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c d Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  7. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
Cite this entry

“Flaccus.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/flaccus. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·