Etymologically
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larix

Etymology and origin of the Latin word larix

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Confidence
Probable
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
Vitruvius

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈɫa.rɪks][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈlaː.riks][1]

Forms

larix f (genitive laricis); third declension[1]

Etymology

It is a loanword from an unknown language, with the common plant suffix -ic-.[2][3] The OLD and Köbler suggest a Gaulish or Alpine source.[4][5][6] Walde and Hofmann proposed that it continued Proto-Indo-European *dr-u- (“tree”) in the source language, which de Vaan calls gratuitous.[2] Wiktionary derives it from Ancient Greek λάριξ (lárix, “larch”).[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Vitruvius, who treats it as masculine.[2][4][7] Köbler dates Vitruvius c. 84–c. 25 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant the larch tree, described by Pliny the Elder and Lucan.[4][7][8] It is feminine, like most tree names, but masculine in Vitruvius.[4]

It survives in Italian larice.[1] Through Old High German and German Lärche it is the source of English larch, first recorded in 1548, and it is the botanical name of the genus.[6]

Timeline

  • c. 84–c. 25 BC – Vitruvius uses it.[4][5]
  • 23/24–79 AD – Pliny the Elder describes the tree.[7][5]
  • 1548 – English larch is recorded.[6]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The larch tree.[4]
  • English larch

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  3. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  4. ^ a b c d e f Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University 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 Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  7. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  8. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
Cite this entry

“Larix.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/larix. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·