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medica

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word medica

medica1 lucerne

Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
116–27 BC Varro
Borrowed from
Ancient Greek Μηδική
Ultimate origin
Ancient Greek Μηδική

Forms

mēdica f (genitive mēdicae); first declension[1] The Greek form mēdicē also occurs.[1]

Etymology

The word for the clover is borrowed from Ancient Greek Μηδική (Mēdikḗ, “Median (grass)”),[1][2][3] named after Μηδία (Mēdía, “Media”), the country from which the plant was brought.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Varro is the first to mention it, in his work on agriculture, for a kind of clover, lucerne.[3][2]

Semantic evolution

Virgil mentions it in the Georgics and Pliny the Elder describes it at length.[3][4] The OLD adds that it may also have named elecampane.[1] Diocletian's Price Edict lists the seed under the spelling maedica.[4]

Timeline

  • 116–27 BC – Varro names the plant in his treatise on agriculture.[3][2]
  • 70–19 BC – Virgil mentions it in the Georgics.[3][4][2]
  • 23/24–79 AD – Pliny the Elder describes it in his Natural History.[3][4][2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A kind of clover, lucerne (Medicago sativa).[1][3]
  2. Perhaps also elecampane.[1]

medica2 female physician

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
40–103 Martial
Ultimate origin
Latin medicus
Etymology tree of medica2
inherited borrowed derived
Latin medeor
Latin medicus
English medic
Italian medico
Spanish médico
Latin mēdica
From the same root · medica2
Latin meditor ← medeor
Latin remedium ← medeor
Latin medicīnus ← medicus
English paramedic ← medic

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ˈmɛ.dɪ.ka][5]
  • Ecclesiastical: [ˈmɛː.di.ka][5]

Forms

medica f (genitive medicae); first declension[5]

Etymology

The word for the female physician is from Latin medicus (“physician”), used as a feminine noun.[1][6][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Martial uses it for a female physician or healer.[8][2]

Semantic evolution

Apuleius uses it in the Metamorphoses,[6][8] and Köbler also glosses it as “midwife”.[2]

Timeline

  • 40–102/103 AD – Martial uses it for a female physician.[8][2]
  • c. 125–175 AD – Apuleius uses it in the Metamorphoses.[6][8][2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A female physician, healer.[1][5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b c d Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  5. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  6. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  7. ^ Bianchi, Rossella; Lelli, Olga (2014), VOLI: Vocabolario di latino, Florence: Le Monnier
  8. ^ a b c d Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Medica.” Etymologically, 7 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/la/medica. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

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