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viaticum

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word viaticum

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 250–184 BC, Plautus
Ultimate origin
Proto-Italic (*wijā-)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin viaticum
French voyage

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [wiˈaː.tɪ.kũː][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [viˈaː.ti.kum][1]

Forms

viāticum n (genitive viāticī); second declension[1]

Etymology

It is the neuter of viāticus (“of a journey”) used as a noun.[2][1] De Vaan lists viāticus among the derivatives of via (“road, way”), from Proto-Italic *wijā- (“road”).[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Plautus has it first, in the Captivi, of provisions for a journey.[4][5]

Semantic evolution

It is provision for a journey, in food or money, a travelling allowance, as in Cicero, Livy and Horace.[2][4] Soldiers' savings were called viātica: Horace has a soldier of Lucullus who lost his savings, Tacitus soldiers who handed theirs over, and Suetonius centurions who paid for a horseman each from theirs.[2] Figuratively it is resources of any kind, as when Quadrigarius says a man had great resources for overthrowing the state.[2][4] The Digest uses it of an allowance paid to a student by his family, and Venantius Fortunatus of a journey itself.[4][5] In Church Latin it is the Eucharist given to the dying.[6][7][5]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus of provisions for a journey.[4][8]
  • 65–8 BC – Horace of a soldier's savings.[2][8]
  • 533 AD – the Digest of a student's allowance.[4][8]
  • c. 1300 – English voyage is borrowed through French from Late Latin viāticum.[7]
  • 1560s – English viaticum is borrowed for the Eucharist given to the dying.[7]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Provision for a journey; travelling money, travelling allowance.[2][9][6][1]
  2. A soldier's savings; money made abroad.[2][1]
  3. Resources, means.[2][1]
  4. (Late Latin) An allowance for a student abroad.[4][7]
  5. (Late Latin) A journey.[5][1]
  6. (Ecclesiastical Latin) The viaticum, the Eucharist given to the dying.[6][7][5]

Word family

  • viāticātus
  • viāticulum

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  5. ^ a b c d e Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
  6. ^ a b c Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  7. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  8. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  9. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press

Descendants

Cite this entry

“Viaticum.” Etymologically, 19 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/viaticum. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·