papilio

Forms

pāpiliō m (genitive pāpiliōnis); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *pV(l)pVl-, in de Vaan's notation.^[2] He explains ⟨pā-piliō⟩ as a reduplication of a root ⟨*pl-⟩ “to fly, flutter”, which also formed the Balto-Slavic word for the quail and the Germanic word for the butterfly; he thinks it unlikely that this root is an early variant of PIE roots such as Proto-Indo-European *pleu- (“to swim, wander”) or Proto-Indo-European *pelh₁- (“to swing”).^[2] Wiktionary suggests a reduplicated form of *pal- (“to feel, touch, shake”).^[1] The OLD calls the root doubtful.^[3]

Cognate with Old Prussian penpalo (“quail”), Lithuanian píepala and Latvian paîpala “quail”, and with Old Norse fífrildi, Old English fīfealde and Old High German fīfaltra “butterfly”, from Proto-Germanic *fīfalðrōn-.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in Ovid,^[2] meaning a butterfly or moth: in the Metamorphoses country grubs change their shape into the “funereal butterfly”.^[3]

Semantic evolution

Pliny the Elder and Columella use it for butterflies and moths, and Pliny for other winged insects.^[4][5] An inscription uses it for the soul of a dead person.^[3] From the likeness of a spread tent to wings it came to mean a tent or pavilion: Tertullian, the Historia Augusta and the Vulgate have this sense.^[4][5][6]

In Medieval Latin the tent sense prevailed, especially for a royal or military tent;^[7][8] it gave Old French paveillon, the source of English pavilion.^[6]

Timeline

• 43 BC–18 AD – Ovid uses it for a butterfly.^[3][9]
• 1st century AD – Columella uses it for a butterfly.^[5][9]
• c. 160–220 AD – Tertullian uses it for a tent.^[4][5][9]
• 390–406 AD – The Vulgate uses it for a tent.^[4][9]
• 1155 – An English pipe roll records work on the king's pavilion.^[8]
• early 13th century – English borrows pavilion from Old French, whose word goes back to papilio.^[6]

Meanings

Noun

1. A butterfly or moth.^[3][4]
2. The soul of a dead person.^[3]
3. (Late Latin) A tent, pavilion.^[4][5]
4. (Medieval Latin) An army tent or royal pavilion.^[7][8]

Word family

• papiliunculus

Related words

• English pavilion

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
3. ^ a b c d e f Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c d e f Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d e Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
6. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
8. ^ a b c 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
9. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de