Etymologically
Log in

vagio

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 05:05. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈwaː.ɡi.oː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈvaː.d͡ʒi.o][1]

Forms

vāgiō (present infinitive vāgīre, perfect active vāgīvī); fourth conjugation, no passive, no supine stem[1]

Etymology

Its origin is uncertain.[2] The OLD calls it imitative and compares Ancient Greek ἠχή (ēkhḗ, “sound”).[3] De Vaan notes that Sanskrit वग्नु (vagnú, “sound, call”) may have *g but is derived from another root, and that Lithuanian vógrauti (“to weep”) is also compared, while Greek Ancient Greek ἴαχε (íakhe, “shouted”) and Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐍃𐍅𐍉𐌲𐌾𐌰𐌽 (gaswōgjan, “to sigh”) have a consonant that does not match.[2] A solution would be a root Proto-Indo-European *weh₂- (“to cry”) with different enlargements.[2][1] Varro thought the word imitated the sound of a newborn's voice.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Ennius, who has a cry resounding to the sky.[2][3] Köbler dates Ennius 204–169 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to cry or wail, of babies, as Cicero's vāgīre of a newborn, and of young goats and hares, as in Martial and Suetonius.[3][6] In Ennius a cry itself resounds.[3] From it came vāgītus “wailing” and vāgor “loud crying”.[2]

It survives in French and Portuguese vagir and Italian vagire, and English vagient is borrowed from it.[1]

Timeline

  • 204–169 BC – Ennius uses it of a cry.[3][5]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of a newborn.[6][5]
  • 40–102/103 AD – Martial uses it of a kid.[3][5]

Meanings

Verb

  1. (of babies) To cry, wail.[3]
  2. (of young goats, hares) To cry.[3]
  3. (of a cry) To resound.[3]
  • vāgītus

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e 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 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 Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.