Etymologically
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velum

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈweː.ɫũː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈvɛː.lum][1]

Forms

vēlum n (genitive vēlī); second declension[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *wekslo-, as the diminutive vēxillum “banner” shows (compare pālus and paxillus).[2][1] De Vaan connects the root either with *weǵʰ- “to convey” (as in vehō), which suits the sense less well, or with Proto-Indo-European *weg- (“to weave”), seen in Old Irish figid (“weaves”) and Old English wice (“wick”).[2] Gaffiot separates the sense “sail”, from *vexlum, from the sense “cloth”, which he derives from *veslum and relates to vestis.[3] The OLD calls the origin doubtful.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Naevius.[2] Plautus has a ship reaching port “with spread sail” (vēlō passō).[4] Köbler dates Naevius c. 235–200 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

It was a sail, and vēla dare “to give the sails to the winds” meant to set sail.[4] It was also a sheet stretched for shade, a curtain over a doorway or a litter, and any woven cloth.[4]

In church Latin it was a wall hanging, an altar cloth or Lenten veil, and the veil a nun took.[6] The plural vēla, taken as a feminine, gave French voile, and through Anglo-French English veil about 1200.[1][7] Medical Latin used it for the soft palate, whence English velum (1771) and velar.[7]

Timeline

  • c. 235–200 BC – Naevius uses it.[2][5]
  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus has a ship arrive with spread sail.[4][5]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero speaks of tents covered with linen awnings.[4][5]
  • c. 1200 – English veil is recorded, for a nun's headdress.[7]
  • 1771 – English velum is recorded for the soft palate.[7]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A sail, vēla dare, to set sail.[4]
  2. An awning.[4]
  3. A curtain (over a door or litter).[4]
  4. A woven cloth.[4]
  5. (Ecclesiastical Latin) A church hanging; an altar cloth; a nun's veil.[6]

Word family

  • vēlāris
  • vēlārium
  • vēlārius
  • vēlifer
  • vēlificātiō
  • vēlificium
  • vēlificō
  • vēlificor
  • vēlificus
  • vēliger
  • vēxillum
  • vēlābrum
  • vēlāmen
  • vēlāmentum
  • vēlātiō
  • vēlātō
  • vēlō
  • vehō
  • English veil
  • English velum

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  3. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  7. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com