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furialis

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word furialis

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
81–43 BC, Cicero
Ultimate origin
Latin furō
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin furo
Latin furia
Latin furialis
From the same root
Latin furibundus ← furo

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [fʊ.riˈaː.lɪs][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [fu.riˈaː.lis][1]

Forms

furiālis (neuter furiāle, adverb furiāliter); third-declension two-termination adjective[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin furia (“rage; a Fury”) + -ālis.[2][1][3] De Vaan derives furia from furō (“to rage”), for which, he says, many etymologies have been proposed and none is clearly the best.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler finds it first in Cicero,[5] who speaks in the In Pisonem of criminals terrified by the burning torches of the Furies.[2]

Semantic evolution

Its first sense is belonging to the Furies, avenging, and Ovid extends it to places haunted by them, as the table of Atreus.[2] It then means like a Fury, as Cicero's furious cries at public meetings,[2] and frenzied or mad, as Ovid's mad daring.[2] Cicero also has a maddening robe, and Virgil the Fury-like limbs that Allecto puts off.[2][6] Lewis & Short note that it is mostly poetic.[6]

Timeline

  • 81–43 BC – Cicero, of the Furies' torches and of maddening clothing.[2][5]
  • 70–19 BC – Virgil, of Allecto's limbs.[6][5]
  • 43 BC–18 AD – Ovid, of mad daring.[2][5]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Of or belonging to the Furies; avenging.[2][1]
  2. Haunted by the Furies; invoking them.[2]
  3. Like a Fury, raging, fearful.[2][6]
  4. Inspired by frenzy, frenzied, mad.[2][1]
  5. Causing madness, maddening, infuriating.[2][1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  4. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Furialis.” Etymologically, 20 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/furialis. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·