Etymologically

olearis

Etymology and origin of the Latin word olearis

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

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ɔ.ɫeˈaː.rɪs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [o.leˈaː.ris][1]

Forms

oleāris (neuter oleāre); third-declension two-termination adjective[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin oleum (“olive oil”) + -āris, and the TLL derives it from ⟨olea⟩ or ⟨oleum⟩.[2][3][1] ⟨oleum⟩ is from Ancient Greek ἔλαιον (élaion, “olive oil”), and ⟨olea⟩ from Ancient Greek ἐλαία (elaía, “olive tree”).[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's earliest source is Columella.[4] Köbler dates Columella to the 1st century AD.[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant of or concerned with olive oil, oiled, as in Columella and Pliny's oleārēs cōtēs, whetstones moistened with oil.[2][5][6]

British Medieval Latin used it for oil-producing, of plants.[7]

Timeline

  • 1st century AD – Columella uses it.[6][4]
  • 23/24–79 AD – Pliny uses it of oil-stones.[5][4]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Of or concerned with olive oil; oiled.[2][6]
  2. (Medieval Latin) Oil-producing.[7]

References

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

“Olearis.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/olearis. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·