Etymologically
Log in

spiceus

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 20 October 2026 at 13:55. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Forms

spīceus (feminine spīcea, neuter spīceum); first/second-declension adjective[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin spīca (“ear of grain”) + -eus.[2][1][3] De Vaan traces the noun to Proto-Italic *speikā- and Proto-Indo-European *speig- or Proto-Indo-European *spiHg-, and compares Germanic words for sharp objects, such as Old English spāca (“spoke”) and Dutch spijker (“nail”), and perhaps Lithuanian speigliaĩ (“thorns”); he knows no further etymology.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's first source is Virgil,[5] who has spicea messis, a harvest of ears of grain.[6][7]

Semantic evolution

It means consisting of ears of grain, chiefly in poetry and in prose after Augustus.[2][6] It is used above all of wreaths: Tibullus, Horace and Ovid have a spicea corona or spicea serta, a crown of ears of grain, and Horace has the earth presenting Ceres with such a crown.[2][6][7] Masurius Sabinus, quoted by Gellius, names the spicea corona as the badge of a priesthood, and Pliny the Elder and Tacitus mention it too.[2] Propertius has spicea coma, the ears themselves, and Ausonius spicea frux.[6] Georges also finds the wreath and a vitta of ears in inscriptions.[8] An Old Saxon gloss renders it aharin.[5]

Timeline

  • 70–19 BC – Virgil has spicea messis.[6][7][5]
  • c. 55–19/18 BC – Tibullus has a spicea corona.[6][7][5]
  • 65–8 BC – Horace has a crown of ears given to Ceres.[2][7][5]
  • 43 BC–18 AD – Ovid has spicea serta.[2][6][5]
  • c. 310–394 AD – Ausonius has spicea frux.[6][5]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Consisting of ears of grain.[2][6][8]
  2. (of wreaths) Made of ears of grain.[2][6]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ Bianchi, Rossella; Lelli, Olga (2014), VOLI: Vocabolario di latino, Florence: Le Monnier
  4. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b c d e Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
  8. ^ a b Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn