venosus

Forms

vēnōsus (feminine vēnōsa, neuter vēnōsum); first/second-declension adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin vēna + -ōsus, from the noun for a blood vessel or vein.^[2][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in Celsus, who calls the kidneys venosi, full of blood vessels.^[3][4][5]

Semantic evolution

Pliny the Elder applied it to plants whose leaves or roots are full of veins, and to gems with vein-like markings.^[2][3] Persius used it figuratively of the book of the tragic poet Accius, where L&S understand “dry, meagre” and Georges “overloaded, bursting with old-fashioned force”.^[3][4] English venous (1620s) comes from it.^[6]

Timeline

• 14–37 AD – Celsus calls the kidneys full of blood vessels.^[3][4][5]
• 34–62 AD – Persius uses it figuratively of Accius' book.^[3][4][5]
• 23/24–79 AD – Pliny the Elder uses it of leaves, roots and gems.^[2][5]
• 1620s – English venous is taken from it.^[6]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Full of blood vessels, veiny.^[2][3]
2. Of plants and leaves: full of veins.^[2]
3. Of gems: marked with vein-like streaks.^[2]
4. (figurative) Of style: dry and meagre (L&S), or overloaded (Georges).^[3][4]

Related words

• English venous

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c d e Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com