Etymology and origin of the Latin word saturatio
- Confidence
- Established
- Formation
- Derivation
- First attested
- 354–430 Augustine More words from the 4th century
- Ultimate origin
- Latin satur
Etymology tree
Forms
saturātiō f (genitive saturātiōnis); third declension[1]
Etymology
It is formed from Latin saturō (“to fill, satisfy”) + -tiō,[1][2][3] the verb being from Latin satur (“full, sated”).[4]
Earliest recorded meaning
It first appears in Augustine (354–430 AD), in his tractates on the Gospel of John, for the act of filling or satisfying.[2][3][4]
Semantic evolution
The Old Latin Bible (Itala) uses it for satiety in Proverbs 3:10.[5] Ecclesiastical Latin gave it the senses fullness, satisfaction and abundance.[6] In British medieval sources it is the filling of someone with food, also used figuratively, and the filling of a tree with sap.[7] English formed or borrowed saturation in the 1550s, first meaning the complete satisfaction of an appetite.[8]
Timeline
- 354–430 AD – Augustine uses it for a filling or satisfying.[2][3][4]
- 1550s – English has saturation, formed from saturate or taken from Late Latin.[8]
Meanings
Noun
- (Late Latin) The act of filling or satisfying.[2][3][1]
- (Late Latin) satiety, fullness.[5][6]
- (Medieval Latin) The filling of a tree with sap.[7]
References
- ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- ^ a b c d Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
- ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
- ^ a b Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
- ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
- ^ a b 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
- ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
Cite this entry
“Saturatio.” Etymologically, 7 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/la/saturatio. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.
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