Etymologically
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vivus

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈwiː.wʊs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈviː.vus][1]

Forms

vīvus (feminine vīva, neuter vīvum); first/second-declension adjective[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *gʷīwos (“alive”), inherited from Proto-Indo-European *gʷih₃-wós (“alive”), from the root of vīvō “to live”.[2][1] De Vaan treats the adjective and the verb as both inherited.[2] Cognate with Oscan bivus (“alive”), Venetic vivoi, Sanskrit जीव (jīvá-, “alive”), Ancient Greek βίος (bíos, “life”), Lithuanian gývas (“alive”) and Gothic 𐌵𐌹𐌿𐍃 (qius).[2][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan's first source is Naevius, whom Köbler dates c. 235–200 BC.[2][3] The OLD's earliest citation for the sense “living, alive” is from Plautus.[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant living, alive, and vīvō with a name “in his lifetime”, ex vīvō was said of art made from life.[4] In the body it was the living flesh, the quick, and vōx vīva is the actual voice of a living person in Cicero.[4] Works of art were vīvus when lifelike, as in Virgil, and rock or other materials when in their natural state, calx vīva is quicklime and argentum vīvum quicksilver in Vitruvius.[4] Fire was live, alight, water was vīvus when it flowed fresh from a spring, and in Seneca abstract things were vivid, lively.[4]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant alive, living, fresh, and as a noun a living person.[5] It survives in Italian, Spanish and Portuguese vivo, French vif and Romanian viu.[1]

Timeline

  • c. 235–200 BC – Naevius uses it.[2][3]
  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of the living.[4][3]
  • c. 84–c. 25 BC – Vitruvius has calx vīva “quicklime” and argentum vīvum “quicksilver”.[4][3]
  • 4 BC–65 AD – Seneca uses it of abstract things, “vivid”.[4][3]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Living, alive, vīvō with a name, in someone's lifetime.[4]
  2. (of parts of the body) Living, vīvum, the quick.[4]
  3. Lifelike.[4]
  4. (of rock, sulphur etc.) In its natural state, native, calx vīva quicklime, argentum vīvum quicksilver.[4]
  5. (of fire) Live, alight.[4]
  6. (of water) Flowing fresh from a spring.[4]
  7. Lively, vivid.[4]

Word family

  • redivīvus
  • vīvārium
  • vīvārius
  • vīvātus
  • vīviparus
  • vīvum

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  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 d e f g h i j k l m n o Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson