vitula

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈwɪ.tʊ.ɫa]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈviː.tu.la]^[1]

Forms

vitula f (genitive vitulae); first declension^[1]

Etymology

It is the feminine of vitulus “calf”.^[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Gaffiot's earliest citations are from Varro and Virgil's Eclogues.^[4] Köbler's first source is Cicero; he dates Varro 116–27 BC and Cicero 81–43 BC.^[3]

Semantic evolution

It meant a female calf, a young cow, a heifer.^[2][4][5]

It survives in Italian vitella, Romanian vițea and Old French velle.^[1] Wiktionary considers it quite uncertain whether the medieval word for a stringed instrument comes from it, perhaps because strings were made from cattle gut, or from a Frankish *fiþulā.^[1] Etymonline reports the usual suggestion that English fiddle goes back to Medieval Latin vitula “stringed instrument”, perhaps related to vītulārī “to celebrate joyfully”.^[6]

Timeline

• 116–27 BC – Varro uses it of a heifer.^[4][3]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it in the Eclogues.^[4][3]

Meanings

Noun

1. A female calf, young cow, heifer.^[2][4]
2. (Medieval Latin) A stringed instrument, fiddle.^[6][1]

Related words

• vitulus
• vacca
• English veal
• English fiddle

Usage notes

Vītula, with a long ī, was a goddess of joy or victory, according to Macrobius and Varro.^[2][4]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
4. ^ a b c d e f Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
5. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
6. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com