variego

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [waˈri.ɛ.ɡoː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [vaˈriː.e.ɡo]^[1]

Forms

variegō (present infinitive variegāre, perfect active variegāvī, supine variegātum); first conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is from varius “various, variegated” with the suffix ⟨-egō⟩, as in verbs in -igō, and Lewis & Short and Gaffiot analyse it as ⟨varius⟩ and agō.^[2][1][3][4] De Vaan finds no convincing etymology for ⟨varius⟩.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD and Gaffiot cite Apuleius' Florida, of a lyre gleaming with gold, ivory and gems, and Lewis & Short call it post-classical.^[2][4][3] Köbler dates Apuleius c. 125–175 AD.^[6]

Semantic evolution

It meant to diversify with different colours, variegate, and intransitively to be variegated, adorned with many colours, as in Apuleius and Ausonius.^[2][3][4]

English variegate (1650s) is from its participle variegātus.^[7]

Timeline

• c. 125–175 AD – Apuleius uses it.^[2][6]
• 1650s – English variegate is recorded.^[7]

Meanings

Verb

1. To variegate, diversify with colours.^[2][3]
2. (intransitive) To be many-coloured.^[2]

Related words

• varius
• variō
• English variegated

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
5. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
6. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com