Etymologically
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vindemia

Etymology and origin of the Latin word vindemia

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
Plautus
Ultimate origin
Latin (vīnum,dēmō)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [wiːnˈdeː.mi.a], [wɪnˈdeː.mi.a][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [vinˈdɛː.mi.a][1]

Forms

vī̆ndēmia f (genitive vī̆ndēmiae); first declension[1]

Etymology

It is from ⟨*vīnodēmia⟩, from vīnum “wine” and dēmō “to take away”, with the suffix -ia.[2][1][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citations are from Plautus, of the vintage as produce, and Cato, of the grape harvest.[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[3]

Semantic evolution

It meant the gathering of grapes, the vintage, as in Cato, Varro and Columella, in the plural in Pliny the Younger and Suetonius, and in Pliny the Elder the harvest of other crops.[2][4][5] From Plautus it meant the year's produce of a vineyard, grapes or wine, and in Virgil grapes.[2][5]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant grape gathering, vintage wine, and in the plural the vintage season.[6] It survives in Italian vendemmia, French vendange and Spanish vendimia, and Old French vendenge gave Anglo-French vintage, whence English vintage in the early 15th century.[1][7]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of a vintage.[2][3]
  • 234–149 BC – Cato uses it of the grape harvest.[2][3]
  • 116–27 BC – Varro uses it.[4][3]
  • early 15th century – English vintage is recorded.[7]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The grape harvest, vintage; any harvest.[2]
  2. A year's produce of grapes or wine.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e 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. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  4. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  6. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
Cite this entry

“Vindemia.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/vindemia. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·