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potio

Etymology and origin of the Latin word potio

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Plautus
Ultimate origin
Latin (pōtō)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈpoː.ti.oː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈpɔt.t͡si.o][1]

Forms

pōtiō f (genitive pōtiōnis); third declension[1]

Etymology

It is from pōtō “to drink” with the suffix -tiō.[2][1] Isidore thought it came from Greek ⟨pótos⟩ “drink”.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citations are from Plautus, of drinking, a drink and a dose of medicine.[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[4]

Semantic evolution

It was the act of drinking, especially of wine, as in Cicero's in mediā pōtiōne “in the middle of drinking”; a drink; and a draught of medicine, a dose, and also of poison or a magic potion.[2][5][6]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant drinking, a potion.[7] Medieval Latin used it for spiced wine.[8] Through Old French poison “a drink, a potion” it gave English poison about 1200, “a deadly potion”, and through Old French pocion it gave English potion about 1300.[6]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.[2][4]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of drinking.[5][4]
  • c. 1200 – English poison is recorded.[6]
  • c. 1300 – English potion is recorded.[6]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The act of drinking.[2]
  2. A drink.[2]
  3. A medicinal draught, dose, potion; a poisonous or magic draught.[2][6]
  4. (Medieval Latin) Spiced wine.[8]

Word family

  • pōtiōnō
  • pōtiuncula

Usage notes

A different and rare verb potiō “to put into someone's power” is from potis “able”, and Plautus has it.[2][9]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ Isidore of Seville, Etymologiarum sive Originum libri XX, ed. W. M. Lindsay (Oxford, 1911).
  4. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  6. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  7. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  8. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  9. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Potio.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/potio. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·