Etymologically
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luxuriosus

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 19 October 2026 at 19:16. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ɫuːk.sʊ.riˈoː.sʊs], [ɫʊk.sʊ.riˈoː.sʊs][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [luk.su.riˈɔː.s̬us][1]

Forms

lū̆xuriōsus (feminine lū̆xuriōsa, neuter lū̆xuriōsum, comparative lū̆xuriōsior); first/second-declension adjective[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin luxuria (“excess, luxury”) + -ōsus.[2][3][1] De Vaan derives luxuria from an adjective *luxuros, built on luxus (“extravagance”), and traces that, if the etymology is right, to Proto-Italic *lukso- and Proto-Indo-European *lug-so- (“bent”): a bending, hence a lack of restraint.[4] Festus derived it from luxus directly.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan and Köbler date it from Cato,[4][5] who tells the farmer that his housekeeper must not be too fond of luxury.[2]

Semantic evolution

Of plants it means rank or luxuriant, as Cicero's luxuriant corn, and of land very fertile; of style, exuberant or extravagant.[2][6] Of people and their acts it is excessive or unbridled, as Livy's joy of the senators that was too unrestrained, and wanton, as Ovid's suitors.[2][6] Most often it means given to luxury and self-indulgence, and of things showing luxury.[2] Church Latin glosses it wanton, extravagant, wasteful,[7] and in Medieval Latin it means lustful or licentious.[8] English luxurious (c. 1300) first meant lascivious, through Old French.[9]

Timeline

  • 234–149 BC – Cato of a self-indulgent housekeeper.[2][5]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero of luxuriant crops.[2][5]
  • 59 BC–17 AD – Livy of unrestrained joy.[2][6][5]
  • c. 1300 – English luxurious, “lascivious”, is formed from it through Old French.[9]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Of plants, rank, luxuriant; of land, very fertile; of style, exuberant.[2][6][1]
  2. Going to excess, unbridled; wanton, licentious.[2][6][8]
  3. Given to luxury, self-indulgent; of things, luxurious.[2][7][1]

Word family

  • lū̆xuriōsē

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 i j k 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. ^ a b 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 e Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  8. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  9. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com