raia

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈraj.ja]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈraː.ja]^[1]

Forms

raia f (genitive raiae); first declension^[1]

Etymology

De Vaan reconstructs Proto-Italic *ragjā- or *rajjā-, with the spelling standing for /rajja/.^[2] There are similar words in Germanic, Middle Dutch rogghe, Middle Low German rugge and Old English reohhe, all “ray”, but whether they can be connected is disputed, and de Vaan suggests that the word may be a loan from a substrate language.^[2][1] The OLD gives its origin as unknown, and the TLL thinks it Mediterranean and rejects the Germanic comparison.^[3][4] Walde proposed derivation from *rādia, related to radius, of the spiny ray.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded in Pliny the Elder's Natural History, among the flat fishes.^[2][6] Köbler dates Pliny 23/24–79 AD.^[7]

Semantic evolution

It names the ray or skate, a flat sea fish.^[3][6] Medieval British sources use it for the skate, with variant spellings raius and reia.^[8] It survives in Italian razza, French raie, Spanish raya and Portuguese raia.^[1] English ray “skate” came from Old French raie and directly from Latin in the early 14th century.^[9]

Timeline

• 23/24–79 AD – Pliny the Elder mentions the fish.^[6][7]
• early 14th century – English ray is recorded for the fish.^[9]

Meanings

Noun

1. A ray or skate, a flat sea fish.^[3][6]

Related words

• English ray

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c 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. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
5. ^ Walde, Alois (1906), Lateinisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter
6. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
8. ^ 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 Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com