Etymology and origin of the Latin word veneno
- Confidence
- Established
- Formation
- Derivation
- First attested
- c. 250–184 BC Plautus More words from the 3rd century BC
- Ultimate origin
- Latin venēnum
From the same root
Forms
venēnō (present infinitive venēnāre, perfect active venēnāvī, supine venēnātum); first conjugation[1]
Etymology
It is from Latin venēnum (“potent herb, poison”),[2][1][3] with the verbal suffix -ō.[2] De Vaan derives venēnum from Proto-Italic *wenes-no-, a derivative of venus (“desire, love”).[3]
Earliest recorded meaning
De Vaan records it from Plautus on, with the senses “bewitch” and “poison”.[3] In the Rudens it means to bewitch.[2]
Semantic evolution
Its earliest sense, to bewitch or enchant, reflects the old meaning of venenum as a potent herb.[2][3] From Lucretius on it meant to imbue or infect with poison: Lucretius has it of the air, Cicero of flesh and Horace of arrows.[2][4] Horace also uses it figuratively of harming someone by spite.[4] Matius uses it of dyeing tapestries.[2][4] In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to poison.[5]
Timeline
- c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it for bewitching.[2][6]
- 96–55 BC – Lucretius uses it of poisoning the air.[2][6]
- 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of poisoned flesh.[4][6]
- 65–8 BC – Horace uses it of poisoned arrows and of spite.[4][6]
Meanings
Verb
- To bewitch, enchant.[2]
- To poison, imbue or infect with poison.[2][4]
- (figurative) To harm, as with spite or slander.[4][1]
- To imbue with a dye, colour.[2][4]
References
- ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
- ^ 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
- ^ a b c d e f g h Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
- ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
Cite this entry
“Veneno.” Etymologically, 13 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/la/veneno. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.
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