Etymologically
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vasto

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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]

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