verres

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈwɛr.reːs]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈvɛr.res]^[1]

Forms

verrēs m (genitive verris); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *wors-en-, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₂wr̥s-en- (“male”).^[2][1] Cognate with Sanskrit वृषन् (vṛ́ṣan, “manly; male animal”), Ancient Greek ἄρσην (ársēn, “male”) and Lithuanian ver̃šis (“bull calf”).^[2][3] The nominative is a remodelling of an expected *verrē, from *werrēn.^[2][1] The root might be *wers- “to rise”, unless the word for “male” began with a laryngeal.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Plautus.^[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant an uncastrated male pig, a boar, as in Varro, who also has the nominative verris, and Columella.^[3][5][6] Cicero punned on it with the name of Verres, the governor of Sicily he prosecuted.^[6] Döderlein says sūs is the general word for swine, and verrēs, scrōfa and porcus are farmers' words.^[7]

In Medieval Latin it was a boar.^[8] It survives in Romanian vier and French verrat.^[1]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.^[2][4]
• 116–27 BC – Varro uses it of boars.^[3][4]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero puns on the name Verres.^[6][4]

Meanings

Noun

1. A boar, uncastrated male pig.^[3]

Related words

• sūs
• porcus

Usage notes

Verrēs is also the name of Gaius Verres, prosecuted by Cicero in 70 BC for his misgovernment of Sicily.^[3]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
3. ^ a b c d e Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
7. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper
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