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longaevus

Etymology and origin of the Latin word longaevus

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
Virgil
Ultimate origin
Latin (longus,aevum)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ɫɔŋˈɡae̯.wʊs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [lon̠ʲˈd͡ʒɛː.vus][1]

Forms

longaevus (feminine longaeva, neuter longaevum); first/second-declension adjective[1]

Etymology

It is from longus “long” and aevum “age” with -us; compare grandaevus.[2][3][1] The TLL suspects the model of Ancient Greek μακραίων (makraíōn, “long-lived”).[3] De Vaan traces ⟨longus⟩ to Proto-Italic *(d)longo-, Proto-Indo-European *dlongʰ-o- (“long”).[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's earliest source is Virgil, and the OLD, Lewis & Short and Gaffiot cite his Aeneid.[5][6][7] Köbler dates Virgil 70–19 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

A poetic word, it meant of great age, aged, ancient, as of a parent in Virgil and in Statius, and as a feminine noun an old woman.[2][6][7]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it means aged, old, long-lived.[8] Medieval Latin used it for long-lasting, and British Medieval Latin for long-lived, also of eternal life.[9][10]

Timeline

  • 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it.[6][5]
  • c. 45–96 AD – Statius uses it.[7][5]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Of great age, aged, ancient.[2][6]
  2. Long-lived; long-lasting.[8][9]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b 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
  7. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  8. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  9. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  10. ^ 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

“Longaevus.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/longaevus. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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