valvae

Forms

valvae f pl (genitive valvārum); first declension^[1][2] The singular valva is rare, in Pomponius, Petronius and Seneca.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *wolVwā- (“leaf of a door”), perhaps from an adjective Proto-Indo-European *wol-eu-o- (“turning”) made from the u-present of the root seen in volvō (“to roll, turn”).^[4][1] De Vaan derives the ⟨a⟩ from the unrounding of /wo/ in an open syllable.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan and Köbler date it from Pacuvius.^[4][5]

Semantic evolution

It is a double or folding door, especially of a temple or palace, and in the singular one leaf of such a door.^[1][2] Cicero, Caesar, Ovid and Pliny the Younger use the plural.^[2] Church Latin glosses it folding door, the leaves of a door.^[6]

Timeline

• 220–130 BC – Pacuvius uses it.^[4][5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero of the doors of a temple.^[2][3][5]
• late 14th century – English valve is borrowed in the sense of one half of a folding door.^[7]

Meanings

Noun

1. A double or folding door, especially of a temple or palace.^[1][2][6]
2. In the singular, one leaf of such a door.^[1][2]

Word family

• valvātus
• valvolae

Related words

• volvō
• English valve

References

1. ^ a b c d e Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
3. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
4. ^ 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
5. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
7. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com