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pumilus

Etymology and origin of the Latin word pumilus

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Confidence
Uncertain
First attested
Suetonius

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈpuː.mɪ.ɫʊs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈpuː.mi.lus][1]

Forms

pūmilus m (genitive pūmilī); second declension[1]

Etymology

Its origin is uncertain.[2][3][4] Ernout and Meillet took pūmiliō “dwarf” as the primary form and pūmilus as formed from it.[2] Pūmiliō has been derived from the Greek name Ancient Greek Πυγμαλίων (Pugmalíōn), or from Ancient Greek πυγμή (pugmḗ, “fist”), as with Ancient Greek πυγμαῖος (pugmaîos, “dwarfish, pygmy”), “one only as big as a fist”, but Walde and Hofmann doubted a change of /ugm/ to /ūm/.[2] Adams connected it with pūbēs “body hair”, as “little hairy one”, and Wiktionary with the root *peh₂w- of puer “boy”.[2][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Martial, and Suetonius uses it of dwarfs that Augustus disliked.[2][5] Köbler dates Suetonius c. 75–c. 150 AD.[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant of short stature, dwarfish, diminutive, and as a noun a dwarf.[3][6][5] Apuleius has a comparative, puerō pūmilior, smaller than a boy, and Statius scans it with a short /u/.[6]

Timeline

  • 40–102/103 AD – Martial uses it.[2][4]
  • c. 45–96 AD – Statius uses it.[6][4]
  • c. 75–c. 150 AD – Suetonius uses it of dwarfs.[5][4]
  • c. 125–175 AD – Apuleius has the comparative pūmilior.[5][4]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Of short stature, dwarfish, diminutive.[3]

Noun

  1. A dwarf.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f 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 Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b c d e Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  6. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Pumilus.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/pumilus. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·