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stagno

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word stagno

stagno1 form a pool

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
86–34 BC Sallust
Ultimate origin
Latin stāgnum
Etymology tree of stagno1
inherited borrowed derived
Latin stāgnum
Latin stāgnō

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ˈstaːŋ.noː][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [ˈstaɲ.ɲo][1]

Forms

stāgnō (present infinitive stāgnāre, perfect active stāgnāvī, supine stāgnātum); first conjugation[1]

Etymology

The word for forming a pool is formed from Latin stāgnum (“pool, pond”) + -ō.[2][3][1] stāgnum may go back to Proto-Italic *stāgno-, which de Vaan gives with a query, and to the root Proto-Indo-European *steh₂g- that LIV hesitantly sets up for it and for Ancient Greek στάζω (stázō, “to let drip”); de Vaan finds no matching formations.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Sallust writes in the Histories that all of a town stood under water as the sewers overflowed (omnia oppidi stagnabant redundantibus cloacis), and Virgil in the Georgics uses it of the Nile spreading in pools.[2][5]

Semantic evolution

Lewis & Short note that it is mostly poetic and post-Augustan, and not in Cicero.[6] Ovid uses it transitively, of land made marshy,[2] and Tacitus of the Tiber flooding the low-lying parts of the city.[7] Valerius Flaccus uses it of blood.[7] In Ecclesiastical Latin it means to overflow or inundate.[8] English formed stagnate from its past participle in the 1660s.[9]

Timeline

  • 86–34 BC – Sallust uses it of a town under water.[2][5]
  • 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it of the Nile forming pools.[2][5]
  • 43 BC–18 AD – Ovid uses it transitively, of land made marshy.[2][5]
  • 1st century AD – Curtius uses it of the Indus spreading over soft ground.[6][5]
  • 98–115 AD – Tacitus uses it of the Tiber flooding the city.[7][5]
  • 1660s – English forms stagnate from its past participle.[9]

Meanings

Verb

  1. (of water) To form pools, stand, stagnate.[2][6]
  2. (of a river) To flood, cover with water.[2][7]
  3. (of land) To be under water.[2][3]

Word family

  • circumstagno
  • constagno
  • restāgnō
  • superstagnō
  • stagnātiō

stagno2 make firm, coat with tin

Confidence
Disputed
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 383–420 Jerome
Ultimate origin
Latin stannum
Etymology tree of stagno2
inherited borrowed derived
Latin stannum
Latin stāgnō

Forms

stagnō (present infinitive stagnāre, perfect active stagnāvī, supine stagnātum); first conjugation[10][11]

Etymology

The word for making firm or coating with tin is, according to Gaffiot and Lewis & Short, from Latin stannum (“tin”) in its spelling ⟨stagnum⟩.[11][6] Georges instead connects it with Ancient Greek στεγνόω (stegnóō).[10]

Earliest recorded meaning

Justin uses it of water made to stand still by bitumen, and figuratively of guarding oneself against plots with remedies.[10][11][7] The first dated author to use it is Jerome, of a wall made firm.[10][5]

Semantic evolution

Pliny Valerianus uses it for coating with tin or soldering.[11][6] Vegetius, in his book on veterinary medicine, uses it of protecting cattle against diseases and of animals strengthened by potions.[10]

Timeline

  • c. 383–419/420 AD – Jerome uses it of a wall made firm.[10][5]
  • c. 400 AD – Vegetius uses it of strengthening animals.[10][5]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To make (water) stand still.[10]
  2. To make firm, as with a coat of plaster.[10]
  3. To coat with tin; to solder.[11][6]
  4. (figurative) To fortify, protect; to strengthen.[10][11][7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d 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 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 h i Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ a b c d e f Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b c d e f Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
  8. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  9. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  11. ^ a b c d e f Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
Cite this entry

“Stagno.” Etymologically, 8 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/la/stagno. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

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