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ventulus

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word ventulus

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 250–184 BC Plautus, Curculio More words from the 3rd century BC
Ultimate origin
Latin ventus
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin ventus
French vent
Italian vento
Spanish viento
Latin ventulus
Derivations
From the same root
Latin ventōsus ← ventus

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ˈwɛn.tʊ.ɫʊs][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [ˈvɛn.tu.lus][1]

Forms

ventulus m (genitive ventulī); second declension[1]

Etymology

It is a diminutive formed from Latin ventus (“wind”) + -ulus.[2][3] The base goes back to Proto-Italic *wē̆nto- and Proto-Indo-European *h₂ueh₁-nt-o- (“wind”), originally the present participle of a verb meaning “to blow”.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan finds it only in Plautus and Terence;[4] its first use is in Plautus' Curculio (c. 250–184 BC),[2][5] for a light breeze made by fanning.[6][7]

Semantic evolution

In Comedy it occurs in the phrase ventulum facere, to fan someone;[6][7] Terence has a character told to take a fan and make a breeze for the girl.[2]

Medieval glossaries define it as a small wind, quoting Terence,[8] and Neo-Latin writers such as Poggio and Vadian used it again.[9] Portuguese borrowed it as vêntulo.[1]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it in the Curculio.[2][5]
  • 190–159 BC – Terence has ventulum facere, to fan.[2][5]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A light wind, breeze.[2][6]
  2. ventulum facere: to make a breeze by fanning.[6][7]

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. ^ Bianchi, Rossella; Lelli, Olga (2014), VOLI: Vocabolario di latino, Florence: Le Monnier
  4. ^ a b de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  5. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b c Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  8. ^ Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
  9. ^ Ramminger, Johann, Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700, www.neulatein.de
Cite this entry

“Ventulus.” Etymologically, 8 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/la/ventulus. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·