virguncula

Forms

virguncula f (genitive virgunculae); first declension^[1][2]

Etymology

It is from Latin virgō (“girl, maiden”) + -cula.^[1][3][4] De Vaan finds no accepted etymology for virgō: Walde and Hofmann took it as an individuation of virga (“twig, rod”), and he rejects a later explanation as a compound “young woman”.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler dates it from Seneca,^[4] who has the little daughters of freedmen (libertinorum virgunculae).^[6][2] The OLD notes that the diminutive is derogatory or stresses youth.^[1]

Semantic evolution

Curtius has a girl of low birth (virguncula ignobilis),^[6][7] and Petronius a girl who throws her arms round someone's neck;^[6][2] Juvenal also uses it,^[2][8] and Frontinus puts it in apposition, virguncula puella “a young girl”.^[2][6] The glossaries render it with Ancient Greek παρθενισκάριον (partheniskárion) and explain it as a diminutive of virgō.^[9]

In Medieval Latin it could mean a young virgin, and also a young nun.^[10][4] Petrarch still used it in the sense “girl”.^[11]

Timeline

• 4 BC–65 AD – Seneca uses it of freedmen's daughters.^[6][4]
• 1st century AD – Curtius uses it of a girl of low birth.^[6][4]
• before 66 AD – Petronius uses it in the Satyrica.^[2][4]
• c. 67–c. 127 AD – Juvenal uses it in the Satires.^[2][4]
• c. 100 AD – Frontinus uses it in apposition with puella.^[2][4]

Meanings

Noun

1. A little girl, young girl; often belittling, or stressing her youth.^[1][2][6]
2. (Medieval Latin) A young virgin; a young nun.^[10][4]

References

1. ^ a b c d Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
3. ^ Bianchi, Rossella; Lelli, Olga (2014), VOLI: Vocabolario di latino, Florence: Le Monnier
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
6. ^ a b c d e f g Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
7. ^ Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
8. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
9. ^ Goetz, Georg (1888–1923), Corpus glossariorum Latinorum, Leipzig: Teubner; vols. VI–VII Thesaurus glossarum emendatarum, digital ed. CGLO, Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
10. ^ a b 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
11. ^ Ramminger, Johann, Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700, www.neulatein.de