Etymologically
Log in

obliquus

Etymology and origin of the Latin word obliquus

History Permalink
Confidence
Unknown
First attested
Cato

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ɔbˈliː.kʊs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [obˈliː.kʷus][1]

Forms

oblīquus (feminine oblīqua, neuter oblīquum); first/second-declension adjective[1]

Etymology

Its origin is unknown.[2][1] The closest words in form and sense are līmus “transverse” and sublīmis “slanting up”, and the OLD takes it as ob- and *liku̯os, comparing līmus.[2][3] De Vaan notes that a root *lī- with the suffixes *-mo- and *-kʷo- does not make sense and has no connections outside Italic.[2] Lewis and Short compared Ancient Greek λέχριος (lékhrios, “slanting”).[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Cato.[2] Köbler dates Cato 234–149 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant set at an angle, slanting, transverse, as Cicero's mōtus prōnus, oblīquus, supīnus, and of movement sideways, and of paths zigzag.[3][6] Of glances it meant sidelong, implying ill will, as Horace's no one there looks askance at my good fortune.[3] Grammarians called the cases other than the nominative oblīquī, as Varro's rēctum homō, oblīquum hominis.[3] Of language it meant obscure, indirect, and of descent collateral.[3] Döderlein distinguishes it, at unequal angles, from trānsversus, at right angles.[7]

In Medieval Latin it was used of squinting eyes, in anatomy, and in astronomy of the zodiac.[8] English oblique was borrowed in the early 15th century, first of muscles and eyes.[9]

Timeline

  • 234–149 BC – Cato uses it.[2][5]
  • 116–27 BC – Varro uses it of the oblique cases.[3][5]
  • 65–8 BC – Horace speaks of a sidelong look.[3][5]
  • early 15th century – English oblique is recorded.[9]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Slanting, oblique, transverse.[3]
  2. Moving sideways, (of paths) zigzag.[3]
  3. (Of glances) sidelong, askance.[3]
  4. (grammar) (Of cases) oblique.[3]
  5. (Of language) obscure, indirect.[3]
  6. (Of descent) collateral.[3]

Word family

  • oblīquē
  • oblīquitās
  • oblīquō
  • oblīquoloquus

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  7. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper
  8. ^ 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
  9. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
Cite this entry

“Obliquus.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/obliquus. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·