lorico

Forms

lōrīcō (present infinitive lōrīcāre, perfect active lōrīcāvī, supine lōrīcātum); first conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin lōrīca (“cuirass, corselet”) + -ō.^[2][1][3] De Vaan lists it with lōrīca among the derivatives of lōrum (“thong, strap”), and notes that a separate loan etymology is often proposed for the noun, from Ancient Greek θώραξ (thṓrax, “cuirass”) or from an unknown Mediterranean language.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan records it first in Varro,^[4] who uses it of coating walls and floors with marble plaster.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

The sense “to arm with a cuirass” is most common in the perfect participle lōrīcātus, “wearing a cuirass”,^[3][5] which Livy uses of a statue and of horsemen, and the Bellum Africum of an elephant armoured and equipped.^[5][2] Pliny the Elder has it of an animal that armours itself with several layers of hide.^[5][3]

In post-classical Latin it was extended to clothing someone in any armour that protects at least the body.^[1]

Timeline

• 116–27 BC – Varro uses it of coating walls with plaster.^[2][4][6]
• 59 BC–17 AD – Livy uses the participle lōrīcātus of armoured horsemen.^[5][6]
• 23/24–79 AD – Pliny the Elder uses it of an animal armouring itself with hides.^[5][6]

Meanings

Verb

1. To arm with a lōrīca, cover with a cuirass or armour.^[2][5][1]
2. To coat or cover (walls, a floor) with plaster.^[2][3]

Word family

• dīlōrīcō
• lōrīcātiō
• lōrīcātus

Related words

• lōrum

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
4. ^ 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
5. ^ a b c d e f Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de