vinca
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Pronunciation
Forms
vinca f (genitive vincae); first declension[1]
Etymology
It is from Latin pervinca (“periwinkle”), by back-formation.[1] Pliny the Elder calls the plant by the double name ⟨vincapervinca⟩, which Georges connects with vinciō (“to bind”).[2][3][4] Köbler leaves its origin unexplained.[5]
Earliest recorded meaning
Ælfric Bata lists it among plants, with the Old English gloss perpince, and the DMLBS counts it as Late Latin.[6]
Semantic evolution
Old High German glosses render it as berawinka, and Köbler also gives the houseleek among its senses.[5] A gloss of the 12th century equates it with pervenke.[6] The botanical genus of the periwinkles is called Vinca.[1]
Timeline
- 23/24–79 AD – Pliny the Elder names the plant vincapervinca.[2][4][5]
- 12th century – A gloss equates vinca with pervenke.[6]
Meanings
Noun
- (Late Latin) The periwinkle, an evergreen plant.[6][1][5]
- (in glosses) The houseleek.[5]
Related words
- English periwinkle
References
- ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- ^ Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
- ^ a b Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
- ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
- ^ a b c d 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