Etymologically
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iuvenca

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [jʊˈwɛŋ.ka], [jʊˈwɛŋ.kaː][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [juˈvɛŋ.ka], [juˈvɛŋ.ka][1]

Forms

iuvenca f (genitive iuvencae); first declension[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin iuvencus (“young bullock”), used as a feminine noun.[2][3][4] Wiktionary suggests that it may rather continue a Proto-Italic *juwenkā beside the masculine.[1] De Vaan traces iuvencus to *juwnko- and Proto-Indo-European *h₂iu-h₁n-ḱo- (“young one, young animal”), a derivative of the word continued in iuvenis (“young”); the sequence ⟨-enc-⟩ instead of ⟨-inc-⟩ is unexpected, and he explains it either as a borrowing from Sabellic or as influence of iuvenis and iuventus.[3] The plural Umbrian iuengar (“young cows”) is the same word in Umbrian; further cognates are Old Irish óac (“youth”), Welsh ieuanc (“young”), Old High German jung (“young”) and Old Norse ungr (“young”).[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan and Köbler date it from Varro,[3][5] who uses it of a young cow or heifer in his book on farming.[6][2]

Semantic evolution

Its ordinary sense is a heifer.[2][4] In poetry the Pharian or Inachian heifer is Io, as in Virgil's “Juno, planning a plague for the Inachian heifer”, and also Isis, with whom Io was identified.[2] Like iuvencus “young man”, it was also used by the poets of a girl: Ovid calls Helen the “Greek heifer”.[4][6]

Timeline

  • 116–27 BC – Varro of the heifer.[3][6][5]
  • 70–19 BC – Virgil of Io, the Inachian heifer.[2][5]
  • 43 BC–18 AD – Ovid of Helen as the “Greek heifer”, and of the temples of Isis.[4][2][5]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A young cow, heifer.[2][4][1]
  2. (poetic) Io, the heifer of Inachus; also Isis, identified with her.[2]
  3. (poetic) A girl, young woman.[4][6][1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ 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
  4. ^ a b c d e f Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  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 Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.