orgia
Forms
orgia n pl (genitive orgiōrum); second declension[1]
Etymology
It is borrowed from Ancient Greek ὄργια (órgia, “secret rites”), which Köbler relates to ἔργον (érgon, “deed, work”).[2][1][3][4]
Earliest recorded meaning
Köbler's earliest source and Gaffiot's first citation are from Catullus, whom Köbler dates 81/79–52/50 BC.[3][5]
Semantic evolution
It was a plural noun for secret rites, mysteries, especially those of Bacchus, as in Catullus and Virgil, and Lewis & Short describe the nocturnal festival of Bacchus with its wild cries.[2][6][5] Gaffiot also gives the sacred objects of the mysteries.[5]
British Medieval Latin used it for the secret rites of Bacchus.[7] English orgy came in the 1560s as orgies, of secret rites of Greek and Roman gods, through French orgies and directly; the sense “wild revelry” came later.[4]
Timeline
- 81/79–52/50 BC – Catullus uses it.[5][3]
- 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it of the rites of Bacchus.[5][3]
- 1560s – English orgies is recorded.[4]
Meanings
Noun
Related words
- Bacchānālia
- English orgy
References
- ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
- ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
- ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b c d e f Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
- ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- ^ 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