navalis

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [naːˈwaː.lɪs]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [naˈvaː.lis]^[1]

Forms

nāvālis (neuter nāvāle); third-declension two-termination adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is from nāvis “ship” with the suffix -ālis.^[2][1][3] Etymonline traces ⟨nāvis⟩ to Proto-Indo-European *nau- (“boat”).^[4] An old inscription spells it ⟨nāb-⟩.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is from Plautus, of what belongs to a ship.^[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant of a ship, nautical, of workmen skilled in shipbuilding, of timber suitable for it, as in Livy, and the porta nāvālis was a gate in Rome named after the docks.^[2] It meant concerned with sea warfare, naval, as Cicero's pedestrēs nāvālēsve pugnae “battles on land or sea” and bellum nāvāle, of forces and commanders, and of honours for naval victories.^[2][6] In Tacitus the stagnum nāvāle was an artificial lake for staging sea fights.^[2]

British Medieval Latin used the neuter plural for a ship's equipment.^[7] English naval came in the early 15th century through Old French and directly from Latin.^[4]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of ships.^[2][5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses bellum nāvāle.^[6][5]
• 59 BC–17 AD – Livy uses it of shipbuilders and timber.^[2][5]
• early 15th century – English naval is recorded.^[4]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Of a ship, nautical; of shipbuilding.^[2]
2. Naval, of sea warfare.^[2]
3. stagnum nāvāle, a lake for mock sea fights.^[2]

Related words

• nāvis
• nāvāle
• nauta
• English naval

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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 c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
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
7. ^ Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press