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ridiculus

Etymology and origin of the Latin word ridiculus

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

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [riːˈdɪ.kʊ.ɫʊs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [riˈdiː.ku.lus][1]

Forms

rīdiculus (feminine rīdicula, neuter rīdiculum, superlative rīdiculissimus, adverb rīdiculē); first/second-declension adjective[1]

Etymology

It is from rīdeō “to laugh” with the diminutive suffix -culus.[2][1][3] Festus says it properly means one laughed at for disgraceful things.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citations are from Plautus, of what is funny, of a jester and of a joke.[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant laughable, funny, comic, as Cicero's faciē magis quam facētiīs rīdiculus “funnier in his face than his wit”, and of persons a jester, buffoon, and as a neuter noun a joke, per rīdiculum in fun, as in Plautus.[2][5] From Terence it meant absurd, silly, ridiculous, and rīdiculum! “absurd!”.[2]

British Medieval Latin used it for amusing, comic.[6] It was borrowed into Italian ridicolo and French ridicule, and English ridiculous came in the 1540s, and English ridicule in the 1680s.[1][3]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of the comic.[2][4]
  • 190–159 BC – Terence uses it of the absurd.[2][4]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of a funny face.[5][4]
  • 1540s – English ridiculous is recorded.[3]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Funny, comic; as a noun, a buffoon; a joke.[2]
  2. Absurd, ridiculous, rīdiculum!, absurd![2]

Word family

  • irrīdiculus
  • perrīdiculus
  • dērīdiculus
  • rīdiculārius
  • rīdiculē
  • rīdiculōsus

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d 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. ^ 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
Cite this entry

“Ridiculus.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/ridiculus. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·