Etymologically
Log in

ovalis

History Permalink

Etymology and origin of the Latin word ovalis

ovalis1 of an ovation

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 165 AD, Aulus Gellius
Ultimate origin
Latin ovō
Etymology tree of ovalis1
inherited borrowed derived
Latin ovo
Latin ovalis

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ɔˈwaː.lɪs][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [oˈvaː.lis][1]

Forms

ovālis (neuter ovāle); third-declension two-termination adjective[1]

Etymology

The adjective of the ovation is from Latin ovō (“to celebrate an ovation, rejoice”) + -ālis.[2][3][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Aulus Gellius (c. 165 AD) has it in ovālis corōna, the crown a general wore when he entered Rome in an ovation:[4][5][6] ovalis corona murtea est (“the ovation crown is of myrtle”).[4]

Semantic evolution

Paulus' epitome of Festus also mentions it.[4][6] In British Medieval Latin, Osbern of Gloucester glosses it as a crown given to victors in battle, and it could be used as a feminine noun for a triumphal crown.[7]

Timeline

  • c. 165 AD – Aulus Gellius describes the ovalis corona as made of myrtle.[4][6]
  • 8th century AD – Paulus' epitome of Festus mentions it.[4][6]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Of or connected with an ovation or triumph.[2][7]
  2. ovālis corōna: the crown worn at an ovation.[5][4]
  3. (Medieval Latin, as a feminine noun) A triumphal crown.[7]

ovalis2 of an egg

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
Ultimate origin
Latin ōvum
Etymology tree of ovalis2
inherited borrowed derived
Latin ovum
Latin ovalis

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [oːˈwaː.lɪs][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [oˈvaː.lis][1]

Forms

ōvālis (neuter ōvāle); third-declension two-termination adjective[1]

Etymology

The egg adjective is from Latin ōvum (“egg”) + -ālis.[1][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler records it in inscriptions, meaning egg-shaped.[6]

Semantic evolution

Wiktionary gives the senses “of an egg” and, in Medieval Latin, “egg-shaped”.[1] Roger Bacon speaks of reflection from an ovalis figura, an oval surface.[7] From Modern Latin it passed into French in the 1540s and into English in the 1570s as oval;[8] Etymonline notes that the Classical word for “egg-shaped” was ōvātus.[8]

Timeline

  • 1540s – French takes oval from Modern Latin ovalis.[8]
  • 1570s – English borrows it as oval.[8]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Of an egg.[1]
  2. (Medieval Latin) Egg-shaped, oval.[1][6][7]

Usage notes

The two words differ in the first vowel: ovālis comes from ovō, ōvālis from ōvum.[1][2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  7. ^ a b c d e 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
  8. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com

Borrowed into

Cite this entry

“Ovalis.” Etymologically, 24 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/ovalis. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·