Latin words first recorded in the 1st century BC

It is from Latin cānus (“grey, hoary”) + -itiēs. De Vaan traces cānus to Proto-Italic *kasno- (“grey”) and Proto-Indo-European *ḱh₁s-no- (“grey”), the root of the word for the hare in other…

It is from Latin cantus (“song”) + -icus.

It is from Latin canō (“to sing”) + -tor. Isidore says the ⟨cantor⟩ is named for modulating his voice in song.

It is from Latin capāx (“roomy, able to hold”) + -tās. The TLL suggests Cicero may have coined it.

It is from Latin capillus (“hair”) + -ātus. De Vaan finds the usual derivation of capillus from caput (“head”) difficult in both form and meaning.

It is a compound from Latin caper (“goat”) + cornū (“horn”), “goat-horned”. It corresponds to Greek αἰγοκερεύς (aigokereús), and Etymonline calls it a loan-translation of the Greek name of the…

It is probably from Proto-Italic *kap-s-o- (“container”), from the root of capiō “to take”, or built directly on an s-present of that root. The Oxford Latin Dictionary also compares Albanian kapase…

It is from Latin capsa (“box, case”) + -ula, a diminutive.

It is from Latin captiō (“deception, sophism”) + -ōsus. That noun, literally “a taking”, comes from capiō (“to take, catch”), which Etymonline traces to Proto-Indo-European *kap- (“to grasp”).

1. The adjective “captured” is from Latin capiō (“to take, seize”), its perfect passive participle, often used as a noun. Wiktionary traces the participle itself to Proto-Italic *kaptos, from…

It is from Latin carbasus (“fine linen”) + -eus. The noun carbasus goes back to Ancient Greek κάρπασος (kárpasos, “cotton”), which Wiktionary traces through Biblical Hebrew כַּרְפַּס (karpás…

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek καρδιακός (kardiakós, “of the heart”), from καρδία (kardía, “heart; stomach”). Köbler traces the Greek noun to Proto-Indo-European *ḱerd- (“heart”).

It is from Latin castīgō (“to correct, punish”) + -tiō. Wiktionary derives castīgō from an unattested noun ⟨*castis⟩ “purity”, related to castus (“chaste”), and a suffix taken from agō (“to drive…

It is from Latin castus (“pure, chaste”) + -mōnia, formed like ācrimōnia.

It is from Latin castus (“pure, chaste”) + -tās. Etymonline glosses castus as “cut off, separated; pure”.

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek κάστωρ (kástōr, “beaver”). Etymonline says the Greek may mean “he who excels” and be the same as the name of Castor.

It is from Latin castra (“camp”) + -ēnsis. De Vaan traces castrum, plural castra, to Proto-Italic *kastro- (“part, share”), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *ḱs-tro-; Walde–Hofmann and…

It is from the phrase ⟨causam dīcere⟩ “to plead a case”, a compound from Latin causa + -dicus, ⟨-dicus⟩ being from dīcō “to say”.

It is from Latin cavilla (“jesting, banter”) + -ō, a deponent verb. The origin of cavilla is disputed. The OLD derives it from calvor (“to deceive”), an explanation already proposed in antiquity; de…

It is from Latin celebrō (“to throng, celebrate”) + -tiō, ⟨celebrō⟩ being from celeber “crowded”.

It is the participle from Latin celebrō (“to throng; to celebrate; to make known”), used as an adjective. De Vaan thinks celebrō was back-formed from concelebrō, itself made from celeber (“crowded…

It is from Latin celeber (“crowded, famous”) + -tās. Isidore says a festival is called ⟨celebritās⟩ because heavenly, not earthly things are done there.

It is from Latin cēnsor (“censor”) + -ius; ⟨cēnsor⟩ is from cēnseō “to assess”. De Vaan traces ⟨cēnseō⟩ to Proto-Italic *knsē- (“to estimate”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱn̥s-éh₁- (“to announce”).

It is from Latin cēnseō (“to assess”) + -ūra.

It is from Latin centum (“hundred”) + vir (“man”).

It is from Latin centumvir + -ālis, from the name of the ⟨centumvirī⟩, a Roman court for civil cases such as inheritance suits. That noun is made of centum (“hundred”) and vir (“man”), which de Vaan…

It is from Latin Cereālis (“of Ceres”), its neuter plural used as a noun. The adjective is formed from Cerēs, the goddess of corn.

It is from Latin cēdō (“to yield, give up”) + -tiō, a noun of action formed on the stem of its participle ⟨cessus⟩. The verb goes back to Proto-Italic *kesd-e/o- (“to go away, avoid”) and…

It is a diminutive from Latin charta (“sheet of papyrus”) + -ula.

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek χειρόγραφον (kheirógraphon, “handwriting; bond”). Köbler explains the Greek word from χείρ (kheír, “hand”) and γράφω (gráphō, “to write”).

It is from Latin cicer (“chickpea”) + -ō, with the suffix that forms cognomina; Georges compares ⟨Tubero⟩ from tūber. Ancient writers also connected it with the chickpea. Pliny the Elder says that…

It is from Latin circulus (“small ring, circle”) + -ō, the verb suffix.

Used as an adjective, it is the perfect passive participle from Latin circumcīdō (“to cut around”).

It is from Latin circum- (“around”) + scrībō (“to write, draw”). De Vaan traces scrībō to Proto-Italic *skreif-e/o- (“to carve”) and Proto-Indo-European *skreibʰ-e/o- (“to carve”). Cognate with…

It is from Latin circumscrībō (“to draw a line around”) + -tiō. circumscrībō is circum- (“around”) with scrībō (“to write”), which de Vaan traces to Proto-Italic *skreif-e/o- (“to carve”) and…

It is from Latin circumscrībō (“to draw a line around; to cheat”) + -tor. The verb is formed from circum (“around”) and scrībō (“to write”), which goes back to Proto-Italic *skreif-e/o- (“to carve”)…

It is from Latin circum- (“around”) + sedeō (“to sit”). De Vaan traces ⟨sedeō⟩ to Proto-Italic *sed-ē- (“to be seated”), from Proto-Indo-European *sed-eh₁- (“to be seated”).

It is from Latin citrus + -eus. The base is probably from Ancient Greek κέδρος (kédros, “cedar”), through Etruscan, and the OLD compares that Greek word.

It is from Latin cīvīlis (“of citizens, civil”) + -ter, the adverb suffix, ⟨cīvīlis⟩ being from cīvis “citizen”. De Vaan traces ⟨cīvis⟩ to Proto-Italic ⟨*keiwi-⟩ “society”, from Proto-Indo-European…

It is from Latin clangō (“to clang, ring”) + -or. clangō is compared with Ancient Greek κλαγγή (klangḗ, “shrill sound”), and Pokorny puts both under a root of crying and sounding…

It is from Latin clārus (“clear, bright; famous”) + -tās. De Vaan traces ⟨clārus⟩ to Proto-Italic *klāro- (“loud”) and Proto-Indo-European *ḱlh₁-ro- (“loud, sonorous”); the shift from “loud” to…

It is from Latin claus- + -ula, ⟨claus-⟩ being the participle stem of claudō “to shut, close”. De Vaan traces ⟨claudō⟩ to Proto-Italic *klaud-e/o-, from Proto-Indo-European *kleh₂u-d- (“to shut”).

It is formed from Latin clāvis (“key”) + -cula (“diminutive suffix”), so literally “little key”. The base clāvis goes back to Proto-Italic *klāwi- (“bar, bolt”) and Proto-Indo-European *kleh₂u- (“to…

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek κλεψύδρα (klepsúdra, “water clock”). The Greek word is made from the stem of κλέπτω (kléptō, “to steal, to hide”) and ὕδωρ (húdōr, “water”).

The simple verb is rare: it is a back-formation, from Latin inclīnō (“to cause to lean”) and the other compounds, acclīnō, dēclīnō and reclīnō, made by poets and grammarians on the model of Greek…

1. The adjective “forced, compressed” is from Latin cōgō (“to drive together; to compel”), its past participle. De Vaan explains that verb as a compound of co- and agō (“to drive”), with the perfect…

It is from Latin con- + arguō (“to make clear, prove”). De Vaan takes arguō as probably a denominative verb “to make bright”, from an adjective Proto-Italic *argu- (“bright”), from…

It is from Latin con- + artō (“to press close together”), from artus “tight”.

It is from Latin coemō + -tiō, from coemō (“to buy up”), a compound of con- and emō (“to buy”); Wiktionary analyses it as the same prefix and emptiō (“purchase”). The verb emō goes back to…

1. The adjective is from Latin cognōscō (“to get to know”), its perfect participle. De Vaan traces ⟨nōscō⟩ to Proto-Italic *gnōske-, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵnh₃-sḱé- (“to know”). 2. The noun is…

It is formed from Latin cohaerēns + -ia, from the present participle of cohaereō (“to stick together”). The OLD sets it beside the adverb cohaerenter. The verb is co- with haereō (“to stick”), which…

It is from Latin collēctus, its feminine, ⟨collēctus⟩ being the participle of colligō “to gather”, used as a noun, with ⟨pecūnia⟩ “money” understood.

It is from Latin colligō (“to gather together”) + -tiō (through its participle ⟨collēctus⟩), and is also spelled ⟨conlēctiō⟩.

It is from Latin con- + lūceō (“to shine”). De Vaan traces lūceō to Proto-Italic *l(o)ukē- (“to be light”) and Proto-Indo-European *leuk- (“light”), with a full grade that he finds unexpected in a…

It is from Latin con- + lūdō (“to play”). De Vaan traces lūdō to Proto-Italic *loid-e/o- (“to play”) and Proto-Indo-European *loid- (“to let go frequently, play”), probably an o-grade present of…

It is from Latin collūdō + -tiō, a noun of action from the verb meaning “to play together; to act in collusion”. The verb is formed from con- and lūdō (“to play”), which de Vaan traces to…

It is from Latin colluō (“to wash out, rinse”) + -iēs. De Vaan counts the compounds in ⟨-luere⟩ among the forms of lavō (“to wash”), which goes back to Proto-Italic *lowa- and Proto-Indo-European…

It is from Latin colluō (“to wash out, rinse”) + -iō, and colluō is a compound of con- and lavō (“to wash”). Its first meaning was what is washed together.

Used as an adjective, it is the past participle from Latin colōrō (“to colour”), a verb made from color (“colour”). De Vaan traces that noun to Proto-Italic *kelōs- (“outside, aspect”) and…

It is from Latin coma (“hair”) + -ātus, formed like a participle, though no finite verb stands behind it in Classical Latin; the present participle comāns is its companion. The noun is from Ancient…