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turbo

Etymology and origin of the Latin word turbo

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turbo1 to disturb

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Plautus
Ultimate origin
Latin (turba)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈtʊr.boː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈtur.bo][1]

Forms

turbō (present infinitive turbāre, perfect active turbāvī, supine turbātum); first conjugation[1] Cicero has the archaic turbāssitur for turbātum erit.[2]

Etymology

The verb is from turba “turmoil, crowd”.[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citations are from Plautus, of behaving in a disorderly way.[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[4]

Semantic evolution

In Plautus it meant to make a disturbance, run riot, to throw a state of affairs into confusion, and to alarm, confound someone.[2] In Cicero it meant to stir up the sea or ground, in Horace to make water muddy, in Lucretius to throw into disorder, in Propertius to disturb someone's rest, and in Virgil to stir the passions.[2]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to disturb, trouble, dismay, confuse, agitate.[5] It survives in Spanish turbar, Romanian turba and Catalan torbar.[1] Its compounds include disturbō and perturbō, whence English disturb in the late 13th century, and its adjective turbidus gave English turbid.[3]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of disorder and confusion.[2][4]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of stirring up the sea.[2][4]
  • 65–8 BC – Horace uses it of muddying water.[2][4]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To make a disturbance.[2]
  2. To stir up, agitate; to make turbid.[2]
  3. To throw into disorder, disrupt.[2]
  4. To disturb; to rouse.[2]
  5. To confound, alarm.[2]

Word family

  • turbinātiō
  • turbinātus
  • turbineus
  • conturbō
  • dēturbō
  • disturbō
  • exturbō
  • interturbō
  • inturbātus
  • obturbō
  • perturbō
  • prōturbō

turbo2 whirl, whirlwind

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Plautus
Ultimate origin
Latin (turba)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈtʊr.boː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈtur.bo][1]

Forms

turbō m (genitive turbinis); third declension[1] Tibullus has a nominative turben, and Caesar recommended the inflection turbōnem.[2]

Etymology

The noun is from turba “turmoil”.[2][1][3] Isidore defines it as the whirling of winds, named from the earth (⟨terra⟩) that the wind sweeps round.[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is from Plautus, of a spinning top.[2] Köbler's first source is Catullus.[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant something that spins, a top, as in Plautus, and in Ennius a whirlwind, tornado.[2] In Seneca it meant a whirlpool, in Lucretius a spinning motion, as of a sling before release, and in Ovid a cone.[2] Döderlein explains that vertex and turbō are whirlwinds, vertex a weak one that raises the dust, turbō a strong, destructive one.[7]

It survives in Italian turbine and Spanish turbión.[1] Its stem turbin- gave French turbine, whence English turbine in 1838.[3]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of a top.[2][4]
  • 204–169 BC – Ennius uses it of a whirlwind.[2][4]
  • 1838 – English turbine is recorded.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A spinning top.[2]
  2. A whirlwind, tornado.[2]
  3. A whirlpool.[2]
  4. A spinning motion.[2]
  5. A cone.[2]

Word family

  • turbinātiō
  • turbinātus
  • turbineus
  • conturbō
  • dēturbō
  • disturbō
  • exturbō
  • interturbō
  • inturbātus
  • obturbō
  • perturbō
  • prōturbō

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  6. ^ Isidore of Seville, Etymologiarum sive Originum libri XX, ed. W. M. Lindsay (Oxford, 1911).
  7. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper
Cite this entry

“Turbo.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/turbo. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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