ridica

Forms

ridica f (genitive ridicae); first declension^[1]

Etymology

The origin is uncertain.^[2][3] A connection with Ancient Greek ἐρείδω (ereídō, “to prop, support”) has been proposed, but de Vaan considers it very uncertain.^[2][1] Pokorny places both words under a root Proto-Indo-European *reid- (“to lean on, support”),^[4] and Wiktionary notes that Beekes finds the reconstruction *h₁reyd- plausible for the Greek verb.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in Cato's treatise on farming,^[2][5] meaning a wooden stake that holds up a vine.^[3][6]

Semantic evolution

The word stayed a term of agriculture: after Cato it appears in Varro and Columella, always of the props used in vineyards.^[6][7] Georges describes the ridica as a squared stake, as opposed to the round, pointed palus.^[7]

It survived in British Medieval Latin, where glossaries give it with the spelling retica,^[8] and Wiktionary lists Spanish rodrigón and Galician rodriga among its descendants.^[1]

Timeline

• 234–149 BC – Cato uses it in his work on farming.^[3][5]
• 116–27 BC – Varro uses it in his work on agriculture.^[6][5]
• 1st century AD – Columella uses it of vine-props.^[6][5]

Meanings

Noun

1. A wooden stake for supporting vines, a vine-prop.^[3][6]

Word family

• ridicula

Usage notes

Georges distinguishes it from palus¹, the round, pointed stake.^[7]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f 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 d Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ Pokorny, Julius (1959), Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Bern; Munich: Francke
5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b c d e Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b c Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
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