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suculentus

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word suculentus

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 125–175 Apuleius More words from the 2nd century
Ultimate origin
Latin sūcus
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin sūcus
Latin sūculentus
From the same root
Latin exsūcus ← sūcus
Latin sūcinum ← sūcus

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [suː.kʊˈɫɛn.tʊs][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [su.kuˈlɛn.tus][1]

Forms

sūculentus (feminine sūculenta, neuter sūculentum); first/second-declension adjective[1] It is also spelled succulentus.[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin sūcus (“juice, sap”) + -ulentus.[5][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's first record is Apuleius,[4] who in the Metamorphoses praises a slenderness that is full of sap, gracilitas suculenta.[2][6]

Semantic evolution

It meant rich in juice or moisture, full of sap,[5][2] and of a person full of vigour;[5][7] Lewis & Short call it post-classical.[2] Paulinus of Nola uses it of a body,[2] and Prudentius figuratively of vigorous frenzy, furores.[2][3] In Aldhelm it describes a green, sappy stalk of herbs.[8]

Italian succulento comes from it,[7] and English succulent came about 1600 through French.[9]

Timeline

  • c. 125–175 AD – Apuleius uses it in the Metamorphoses.[2][6][4]
  • c. 353–431 AD – Paulinus of Nola uses it of a body.[2][4]
  • 348/49–c. 413 AD – Prudentius uses it figuratively.[2][4]
  • 639–709 AD – Aldhelm uses it of a herb's stalk.[8][4]
  • c. 1600 – English borrows succulent through French.[9]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Full of juice or sap, juicy.[5][2]
  2. (figurative) Full of vital fluid; vigorous.[5][2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  3. ^ a b Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  4. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b c d e Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  7. ^ a b Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
  8. ^ 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
  9. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
Cite this entry

“Suculentus.” Etymologically, 8 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/la/suculentus. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

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