vasto

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈwaːs.toː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈvas.to]^[1]

Forms

vāstō (present infinitive vāstāre, perfect active vāstāvī, supine vāstātum); first conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin vāstus (“empty, desolate”) + -ō.^[2][1] The adjective is inherited from Proto-Italic *wāsto-, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₁u(e)h₂-sto-, cognate with Old Irish fás (“empty”) and Old High German wuosti (“empty, waste”).^[3] De Vaan notes that the long vowel is not certain, and that a link with Hittite wašta-i (“to sin”) proposed by Puhvel is not compelling.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Naevius,^[3] who says the Romans burn, plunder and lay waste a whole island.^[2] Köbler dates Naevius c. 235–200 BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant to make a place empty, leave it without people, and above all to plunder and destroy, to lay waste a country.^[2] Lewis and Short note that the sense “to empty” is rare but classical.^[5]

Influenced by Frankish *wostjan, it became Old French gaster and Old North French waster, whence English waste about 1200.^[6] It also gave Italian guastare, French gâter and Spanish gastar.^[5][1]

Timeline

• c. 235–200 BC – Naevius uses it of laying waste an island.^[2][4]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero speaks of the forum left empty and deserted.^[2][4]
• c. 1200 – English waste “devastate” is recorded.^[6]

Meanings

Verb

1. To make empty, leave without inhabitants.^[2]
2. To lay waste, devastate, ravage.^[2][1]

Related words

• vāstus
• English waste
• English devastate
• English vast

References

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