Etymologically

oleamen

Etymology and origin of the Latin word oleamen

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Scribonius Largus
Ultimate origin
Ancient Greek (ἔλαιον)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin oleum
Latin olearis
Latin olearius
Latin oleamen

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ɔ.ɫeˈaː.mɛn][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [o.leˈaː.men][1]

Forms

oleāmen n (genitive oleāminis); third declension[1] Also oleāmentum.[2][3]

Etymology

It is from Latin oleum (“olive oil”) + -men.[4][1] ⟨oleum⟩ is from Ancient Greek ἔλαιον (élaion, “olive oil”), and ⟨olea⟩ from Ancient Greek ἐλαία (elaía, “olive tree”).[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its source is the physician Scribonius Largus, whom Köbler dates about 47 AD.[2][5][6]

Semantic evolution

It meant an ointment made from olive oil, a preparation containing oil.[4][2][5]

Timeline

  • c. 47 AD – Scribonius Largus uses it.[2][6]

Meanings

Noun

  1. An ointment made from olive oil.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  3. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  4. ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  6. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
Cite this entry

“Oleamen.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/oleamen. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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