Etymologically
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ventilo

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ˈwɛn.tɪ.ɫoː][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [ˈvɛn.ti.lo][1]

Forms

ventilō (present infinitive ventilāre, perfect active ventilāvī, supine ventilātum); first conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin ventulus (“light breeze”),[2][3][1] a diminutive of ventus (“wind”); the OLD derives the verb directly from that noun.[4][5] De Vaan traces the noun to Proto-Italic *wē̆nto- and Proto-Indo-European *h₂ueh₁-nt-o- (“wind”), originally the present participle of *h₂ueh₁- (“to blow”).[5] Cognates are Welsh gwynt (“wind”), Sanskrit वात (vā́ta-, “wind”) and Tocharian B yente (“wind”).[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first quotation is in Varro's work on agriculture, of olives that should be aired by being tossed in heaps.[4][6]

Semantic evolution

Its first sense is to expose something to the air: olives, grain in the granary, wine, wax.[4][3][6] Varro, Columella and Pliny the Elder use it of tossing grain to winnow it.[2][3] It also means to fan: Juvenal has a little slave fanning a fire as he runs, and Martial a woman cooling a man with a fan.[4][2] From the waving motion comes the sense of brandishing: Propertius has Venus waving a torch, and Martial weapons.[4][2][6] Used without object it means going through the motions of fighting: Seneca the Elder says fighting is one thing, ventilare another.[4][2][6] Figuratively it means to air an opinion or bandy something about: Fronto uses it of turning over a single idea, Apuleius of a name spread abroad.[4][6]

In the Vulgate and Tertullian it means to strike or scatter enemies,[6] and Ecclesiastical Latin has it for fanning, winnowing, tossing and scattering.[7] English borrowed its participle as ventilate, first in the sense of scattering, as the wind does.[8]

Timeline

  • 116–27 BC – Varro uses it of airing olives and winnowing grain.[4][3][9]
  • 57/46–12 BC – Propertius uses it of waving a torch.[4][9]
  • c. 67–c. 127 AD – Juvenal uses it of fanning a fire.[4][9]
  • 100–170 AD – Fronto uses it figuratively of turning over an idea.[4][9]
  • 390–406 AD – The Vulgate uses it of scattering enemies.[6][9]
  • early 15th century – English borrows it as ventilaten.[8]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To expose to a draught, to air.[4][3][6]
  2. To fan;[4][2] to blow cool air.[4]
  3. (agriculture) To winnow grain.[2][3]
  4. To wave in the air, brandish;[4][2] (absolute) to make passes in the air, go through the motions of fighting.[4][3]
  5. (figurative) To air, bandy about, make public.[4][6]
  6. (Late Latin) To strike, scatter, drive away.[6][7]

Word family

  • dīventilō
  • ēventilō
  • reventilō
  • ventilābrum
  • ventilābundus
  • ventilātiō
  • ventilātor

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b c de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
  7. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  9. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de