vegetatio

Forms

vegetātiō f (genitive vegetātiōnis); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin vegetō (“to enliven, invigorate”) + -tiō.^[2][3][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Apuleius has it in the opening of the Metamorphoses, where the narrator wants to shake off the weariness of sitting incessūs vegetātiōne, “by the stimulation of walking”.^[4][5][6]

Semantic evolution

In Late Latin it meant enlivening or movement: Orosius uses it,^[3][5] and Cassian has it for giving life.^[5] Church Latin used it of new life and quickening.^[7]

Medieval writers used it for movement and excitement and for giving life;^[8] in British sources it means strengthening or nourishment, the giving of life, and the basic processes of life (growth, development, reproduction) seen especially in plants.^[9] New Latin botany used it for the growing of plants and for a plant's habit.^[1] English took vegetation in the 1560s as “act of vegetating”, partly through French; the meaning “plant life” is recorded by 1727.^[10]

Timeline

• c. 125–175 AD – Apuleius uses it for the stimulation of walking.^[4][6]
• c. 360–c. 435 AD – Cassian uses it for giving life.^[5][6]
• 417/418 AD – Orosius uses the word.^[3][6]
• 639–709 AD – Aldhelm uses it of the long strengthening of the limbs.^[9][6]
• 1560s – Borrowed into English as vegetation.^[10]

Meanings

Noun

1. An enlivening, invigoration, stimulation.^[2][4][3]
2. (Late Latin) The giving of life, quickening.^[5][7]
3. (Medieval Latin) Movement, excitement.^[8]
4. (Medieval Latin) Strengthening; nourishment.^[9]
5. (Medieval Latin) The basic processes of life, such as growth, especially in plants.^[9]
6. (New Latin, botany) Vegetation, the growing of plants; a plant's habit.^[1]

Related words

• English vegetation

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
4. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d e Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
6. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
7. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
8. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
9. ^ a b c d Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
10. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com