Etymologically
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missile

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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]

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