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strido

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word strido

Confidence
Established
Formation
Onomatopoeia
First attested
204–169 BC, Ennius
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin strido
Latin stridor

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ˈstriː.doː][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [ˈstriː.do][1]

Forms

strīdō (present infinitive strīdere, perfect active strīdī); third conjugation, no passive, no supine stem[1] A second-conjugation form strīdeō, strīdēre is found from Lucretius on.[2][3]

Etymology

De Vaan calls it an imitative formation, with /str/ and /i/ rendering a high, thrilling tone.[2][3] Cognate with Ancient Greek τρίζω (trízō, “to squeak”) and Tocharian A trisk- (“to resound”), which begin with /tr/.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan and Köbler date it from Ennius,[2][4] whose Annals have shields resounding and the iron point whizzing: clipei resonunt et ferri stridit acumen.[3]

Semantic evolution

It means to make a high-pitched, shrill sound, by friction (to creak or grate, as a door in Pacuvius), by wind (to whistle or shriek, as the sea in Virgil's Georgics), by rapid movement (to whirr or whizz), and by effervescence (to hiss).[3] It is also used of the shrill cries of people and animals, as in Accius, and of musical instruments, as Catullus' pipe shrilling with a dreadful tune.[3] With an ablative it means to be filled with a shrill sound, as the air in Virgil whistling with spears.[3] Its derivative strīdor is found from Pacuvius on.[2]

Timeline

  • 204–169 BC – Ennius, of a spear point whizzing.[3][2][4]
  • 220–130 BC – Pacuvius, of a creaking door.[3][4]
  • 81/79–52/50 BC – Catullus, of a shrill pipe.[3][4]
  • 70–19 BC – Virgil, of the sea and of air whistling with spears.[3][4]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To make a shrill or harsh sound: to creak, grate; to whistle, shriek; to whirr, whizz, hum; to hiss.[3][1]
  2. Of people and animals: to cry shrilly; of instruments: to sound shrill.[3]
  3. To be filled with a shrill sound.[3]

Word family

  • strīx

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f 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 e f g h i j k l m Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de

Derived terms

Cite this entry

“Strido.” Etymologically, 20 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/strido. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·