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lupa

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word lupa

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 250–184 BC, Plautus
Ultimate origin
Latin (lupus)

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ˈɫʊ.pa][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [ˈluː.pa][1]

Forms

lupa f (genitive lupae); first declension[1]

Etymology

It is the feminine of lupus “wolf”.[2][1][3] De Vaan finds the origin of lupus uncertain: either Proto-Indo-European *ulkʷo- (“wolf”) through a Sabellic form, or a root meaning “marten”.[4] Wiktionary explains the sense “prostitute” either as a comparison with the wolf's rapacity, as Isidore thought, or as a reference to the she-wolf's supposed uncleanliness.[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates the sense “prostitute” from Plautus and “she-wolf” from Propertius.[4] In Plautus' Epidicus the ways of a maiden and a prostitute are said to be far apart.[2]

Semantic evolution

It is a she-wolf: Propertius addresses Romulus as fed on the hard milk of the she-wolf, and Livy and Quintilian speak of the she-wolf of Romulus.[2][3] Horace has a grey she-wolf running down from Lanuvium, and Ovid a ravening she-wolf given charge of the sheepfold.[3] From Plautus on it is also a prostitute.[2][4] Its derivative lupānar “brothel” is also found from Plautus on.[4]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus of a prostitute.[2][4][5]
  • 57/46–12 BC – Propertius of the she-wolf of Romulus.[2][4][5]
  • 65–8 BC – Horace of a she-wolf from Lanuvium.[3][5]
  • 59 BC–17 AD – Livy of Romulus' she-wolf.[3][5]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A she-wolf.[2][3][1]
  2. (slang) A prostitute.[2][3][1]

Word family

  • lupor
  • lupula
  • lupānar
  • lupus

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 Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b c d e f 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
Cite this entry

“Lupa.” Etymologically, 20 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/lupa. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·