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furax

Etymology and origin of the Latin word furax

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Plautus
Ultimate origin
Proto-Indo-European (*bʰōr)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin fur
Latin furax

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈfuː.raːks][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈfuː.raks][1]

Forms

fūrāx (genitive fūrācis, superlative fūrācissimus, adverb fūrāciter); third-declension one-termination adjective[1] Comparative fūrācior, superlative fūrācissimus.[2]

Etymology

It is from Latin fūr (“thief”) + -āx.[2][1] De Vaan reconstructs ⟨fūr⟩ as Proto-Italic ⟨*fōr-⟩, Proto-Indo-European *bʰōr (“thief”), cognate with Ancient Greek φώρ (phṓr, “thief”), and doubts that it was borrowed from Greek.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's earliest source is Plautus.[4] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant given to stealing, thievish, rare but classical, as in Cicero of a slave and of Piso's fūrācissimae manūs “most thievish hands”.[2][5][6]

British Medieval Latin used it for thievish, as of a dog that steals at night.[7]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.[4]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it.[6][4]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Given to stealing, thievish.[2][5]

Word family

  • fūrācitās

Usage notes

Lewis & Short compare rapāx and fūrunculus.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d 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. ^ 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 d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b 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

“Furax.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/furax. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·