Etymologically
Log in

ovalis

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 24 October 2026 at 14:49. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

ovalis1 of an ovation

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

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