missile

Forms

missile n (genitive missilis); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is the neuter of missilis “that can be thrown”, from mittō “to send, throw”, used as a noun.^[2][1][3] De Vaan traces ⟨mittō⟩ to Proto-Italic *meit-e/o-, from Proto-Indo-European *m(e)ith₂- (“to exchange, remove”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's earliest source is Cato, and the OLD's earliest citation is Virgil.^[3][2] Köbler dates Cato 234–149 BC.^[3]

Semantic evolution

It meant a missile, projectile, any weapon thrown, such as an arrow or javelin, mostly in the plural, as in Virgil and Livy; and in the plural gifts thrown to the crowd at shows by the emperor, as in Suetonius, and figuratively in Seneca the gifts that Fortune scatters.^[2][5]

English missile (1650s) is from it.^[6]

Timeline

• 234–149 BC – Cato uses it.^[3]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it of a projectile.^[2][3]
• c. 75–c. 150 AD – Suetonius uses it of gifts thrown to the people.^[2][3]
• 1650s – English missile is recorded.^[6]

Meanings

Noun

1. A missile, projectile.^[2][5]
2. (plural) Gifts thrown to the crowd.^[2]

Related words

• missilis
• mittō
• English missile

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
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 Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
6. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com