Etymologically
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victus

Etymology and origin of the Latin word victus

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Plautus
Ultimate origin
Latin (vīvō)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈwiːk.tʊs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈvik.tus][1]

Forms

vīctus m (genitive vīctūs); fourth declension[1]

Etymology

It is from vīvō “to live” with the suffix of action nouns -tus.[2][1][3] Plautus has a genitive ⟨victī⟩, Varro ⟨victuis⟩, and Lucilius a dative ⟨victū⟩.[2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is from Plautus, of food.[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant the means of sustenance, food, nourishment, as Cicero's tenuis victus cultusque “a frugal table and dress”, and in Ulpian the other necessaries of life.[2][3] From Cicero it meant one's way of life.[2]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant food, support, way of living, nourishment.[6] Medieval Latin used it of the property assigned to feed a community of canons or monks.[7] English victual “food” is recorded about 1300.[8]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of food.[2][5]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of a way of life.[2][5]
  • before 223 AD – Ulpian uses it of the necessaries of life.[2][5]
  • c. 1300 – English victual is recorded.[8]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Sustenance, food, nourishment; the necessaries of life.[2]
  2. A way of life.[2]
  3. (Medieval Latin) Property assigned to feed a community.[7]
  • convīctus
  • vīctuālis
  • vīvō
  • English victual

Usage notes

Victus, -a, -um is also the perfect participle of vincō “to conquer”, “conquered”.[4][3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  4. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  7. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
Cite this entry

“Victus.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/victus. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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