votivus

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [woːˈtiː.wʊs]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [voˈtiː.vus]^[1]

Forms

vōtīvus (feminine vōtīva, neuter vōtīvum); first/second-declension adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin vōtum (“vow”) + -īvus, from voveō “to vow”.^[2][1] De Vaan traces ⟨voveō⟩ to Proto-Italic *wow-eje/o- (“to promise”), Proto-Indo-European *h₁wogʷʰ-éye- (“to promise”), cognate with Sanskrit ओहते (óhate, “praises”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is Cicero, lūdī vōtīvī “games vowed”.^[2][4] Köbler dates Cicero 81–43 BC.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant offered or performed in fulfilment of a vow, votive, as of games in Cicero and a votive tablet in Horace, and in Apuleius granted in answer to prayer, wished for.^[2][6][4]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it means votive, devotional.^[7] English votive (1590s) is from it through French.^[8]

Timeline

• 81–43 BC – Cicero has lūdī vōtīvī.^[2][5]
• 65–8 BC – Horace has tabula vōtīva.^[4][5]
• 1590s – English votive is recorded.^[8]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Vowed, votive.^[2][6]
2. Answering one's prayers, wished for.^[2]

Word family

• vōtīvitās

Related words

• vōtifer
• vōtum
• vōtus
• voveō
• dēvōtus
• English votive

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
4. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
5. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com