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mustus

Etymology and origin of the Latin word mustus

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Confidence
Uncertain
First attested
Naevius

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈmʊs.tʊs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈmus.tus][1]

Forms

mustus (feminine musta, neuter mustum); first/second-declension adjective[1]

Etymology

The origin is unclear.[2][1] It is traditionally connected with muscus “moss” and Proto-Indo-European *mews- (“damp”), so “wet”; de Vaan is sceptical, and notes that a derivation from *mud-s-to- “cheerful” is semantically gratuitous.[1][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan and Köbler give Naevius first.[4][5] Köbler dates Naevius c. 235–200 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant fresh or young, as of a lamb in Cato, and vīnum mustum was unfermented wine.[2] Lewis and Short note that the adjective is only ante-classical.[2][6] The neuter noun mustum, new wine or must, is found from Cato, together with mustāceus, a cake made with must.[4]

Latin mustum gave Old English must “new wine” (English must), German Most, Italian mosto and French moût.[3]

Timeline

  • c. 235–200 BC – Naevius uses the word.[4][5]
  • 234–149 BC – Cato uses it of a young lamb and of new wine.[6][5]
  • Old English – must “new wine” is borrowed from mustum.[3]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. fresh, young, new.[2]
  2. (of wine) Unfermented.[2][1]

Word family

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d 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 Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Mustus.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/mustus. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·