Etymologically
Log in

tricae

Etymology and origin of the Latin word tricae

History Permalink
Confidence
Uncertain
First attested
Plautus

Forms

trīcae f pl (genitive trīcārum); first declension[1]

Etymology

Its origin is uncertain.[2][1] De Vaan mentions a possible comparison with Tocharian B traiksa (“missed”), and, if “trifles” is the oldest sense, an original meaning “crumbs”, like nūgae from “nuts”, from a k-extension *trī-k- of the root of terō “to rub”, as in trīticum “wheat”.[2][1] The OLD compares torqueō “to twist”.[3] Pliny the Elder connects it with Trica, a small town in Apulia, as though it meant something worthless.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Plautus, whose character says he has been thrown into a tangle of trouble.[2][3] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant a tangle of difficulties, complications, perplexities, as in Cicero's letters, and trifles, nonsense, as Plautus' quās tū mihi trīcās nārrās? “what nonsense are you telling me?”.[3][6] Martial uses it of trifles.[6] From it came trīcō “a trickster” and the verbs extrīcō “to set free” and intrīcō “to entangle”.[2]

English intricate and English extricate come from these verbs.[7]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of complications and nonsense.[3][5]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of difficulties.[6][5]
  • 40–102/103 AD – Martial uses it of trifles.[6][5]
  • early 15th century – English intricate is recorded.[7]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (plural) A tangle of difficulties, complications.[3]
  2. (plural) Trifles, nonsense.[3]

Word family

  • trīcō
  • trīcōsus
  • extrīcō
  • intrīcō
  • prōtrīcō
  • trīcor
  • English intricate
  • English extricate

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d 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 Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ a b c d Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
Cite this entry

“Tricae.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/tricae. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·