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philtrum

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word philtrum

Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
2nd/1st century BC, Laevius
Borrowed from
Ancient Greek φίλτρον
Ultimate origin
Ancient Greek φίλτρον

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ˈpʰɪɫ.trũː][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [ˈfil.trum][1]

Forms

philtrum n (genitive philtrī); second declension[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek φίλτρον (phíltron, “love charm, love potion”),[2][3][1][4] formed from φιλέω (philéō, “to love; to kiss”) with the instrument suffix -τρον (-tron).[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first known user is the poet Laevius, who speaks of people digging up all kinds of love charms.[5][4]

Semantic evolution

It meant a philtre, a love potion or any charm used to arouse love by magic.[2][5] Except in Hyginus it occurs only in the plural.[5] Ovid warns that such potions harm the mind and bring madness,[5][3] and Juvenal speaks of Thessalian philtres that can unsettle a husband's mind.[5][3] Hyginus applies it to the blood that Nessus gave to Deianira.[5]

English philtrum, recorded from 1703, took from medical Latin the sense of the groove in the middle of the upper lip.[6]

Timeline

  • 2nd/1st century BC – Laevius uses the plural of love charms.[5][4]
  • 43 BC–18 AD – Ovid writes of philtres given to girls.[5][4]
  • c. 67–c. 127 AD – Juvenal mentions Thessalian philtres.[5][4]
  • 1703 – English philtrum is recorded, from medical Latin, for the groove of the upper lip.[6]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (usually plural) A love potion, philtre or other love charm.[2][3][5]
  2. (New Latin, anatomy) The groove in the middle of the upper lip.[6]
  • English philtre
  • English philtrum

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. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  6. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Philtrum.” Etymologically, 25 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/philtrum. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·