formica

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [fɔrˈmiː.ka]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [forˈmiː.ka]^[1]

Forms

formīca f (genitive formīcae); first declension^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *mormīkā-, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *moru̯-o/ī̆- (“ant”).^[2][1] The word for “ant” has many irregular forms in the Indo-European languages, probably from taboo distortion, as still happens in Dutch and German dialects.^[2] The Latin /f/ may come from /m/ by dissimilation of /m…m/ to /f…m/.^[2][1]

Cognate with Old Irish moirb (“ant”), Welsh myr (“ants”), Sanskrit वम्र (vamrá, “ant”), Avestan maoiri- (“ant”) and Ancient Greek μύρμηξ (múrmēx, “ant”).^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found from Plautus onwards,^[2][4] who threatens to have someone torn to pieces bit by bit by ants.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It always meant “ant”, and Cicero, Virgil and Horace mention it.^[5][6] Suetonius mentions winged ants.^[6]

Servius, followed by Isidore of Seville, derived the name from the ant's carrying crumbs, micas ferre, an ancient guess.^[7] It survives as Italian formica, Spanish hormiga, Portuguese formiga and Romanian furnică, and English formic (acid) was coined from it in 1791.^[1][8]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus mentions ants.^[5][4]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero mentions the ant.^[5][4]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil describes the ant storing grain.^[5][4]
• c. 400 AD – Servius explains the name from the ant's carrying crumbs.^[7][4]
• 1791 – English formic is coined from it.^[8]

Meanings

Noun

1. An ant.^[3][1]

Word family

• formicabilis
• formīcīnus
• formīcō
• formīcōsus
• formīcula

Usage notes

A spelling furmīca is also found, and survives in Romanian furnică.^[1][4]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h 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 Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b c d e Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
7. ^ a b Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com