Etymologically
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veho

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈwe.(ɦ)oː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈvɛː.o][1]

Forms

vehō (present infinitive vehere, perfect active vē̆xī, supine vectum); third conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *weχ-e/o-, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *ueǵʰ-e/o- (“to carry”).[2][1] Vectīgal “tax” presupposes a noun *wekti- “levy”.[2]

Cognate with Umbrian arveitu (“let him add”),[2] Sanskrit वहति (váhati, “carries”), Ancient Greek ὄχος (ókhos, “carriage”), Old High German wagan (“wagon”) and English wain.[2][3][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found from Livius Andronicus onwards.[2] In Plautus a merchant says he sold all the goods he had brought.[3]

Semantic evolution

It meant to carry on the shoulders or on horseback, to convey goods by cart or ship, and of wind and water to bear along, as Virgil's “the south wind carried me over the sea for three nights”.[3][4] The passive vehi meant to ride or travel, as in equo vehi “to ride a horse” in Cicero and Catullus' “carried through many peoples and over many seas”.[3][4]

Geographers used it of land stretching from one point to another.[3] English vehicle came from its derivative vehiculum in the 1610s.[5]

Timeline

  • c. 280/260 – before 200 BC – Livius Andronicus uses it.[2][6]
  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of goods brought by ship.[3][6]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses in equo vehi, “to ride a horse”.[4][6]
  • 81/79–52/50 BC – Catullus uses the passive of travelling.[3][6]
  • 1610s – English vehicle comes from its derivative vehiculum.[5]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To carry, bear (on the body or an animal).[3][1]
  2. To convey, transport (by cart or ship).[3][1]
  3. (of wind or water) To bear along.[3]
  4. To make (land) extend.[3]
  5. (passive) To ride, travel, be borne.[3][1]

Word family

  • advehō
  • convehō
  • ēvehō
  • invehō
  • prōvehō
  • subvehō
  • supervehor
  • trānsvehō
  • vectō
  • vector
  • vectuarius
  • vectūra
  • vectīgal
  • vectis
  • convexus
  • English vehicle
  • English wain

References

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