Latin words first recorded in the 1st century BC

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek ἔπος (épos, “word, speech, tale”), which goes back to Proto-Indo-European *wékʷos, from *wekʷ- (“to speak”).

It is from Latin ex- + vītō (“to avoid”). De Vaan derives ⟨vītō⟩ from Proto-Italic ⟨*wīto-⟩ “wanted”, Proto-Indo-European *wih₁-to- (“wished for”), and rejects the older explanation as ⟨*vi-itō⟩ “to…

It is from Latin ex- + pavēscō (“to become frightened”), an inchoative verb. De Vaan derives paveō (“to be afraid”) from Proto-Italic *paw-ē- (“to be frightened”) and Proto-Indo-European *pou-eh₁-…

It is a diminutive from Latin fēmina (“woman”) + -ella.

It is from Latin fōns (“spring, fountain”) + -culus, a diminutive. The base goes back to Proto-Italic *fonti- and Proto-Indo-European *dʰonh₂-ti- (“flowing”).

It is from Latin fors (“chance”) + sit (“be”), the noun with the present subjunctive of the verb. The TLL thinks the words grew together from ⟨fors sit⟩, unless it is a shortened forsitan…

It is probably a verb from an adjective *fragros “smelling”, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrh₁g-ro-. Cognate with Middle Irish brén (“putrid, foul”) and Old Irish braigid (“breaks wind”), and perhaps…

It is from Latin horrificus (“causing dread”) + -ō, the verb suffix, or from horreō with ⟨-ficō⟩. De Vaan traces ⟨horreō⟩ to Proto-Italic *xors-ē- (“to be stiff”), from Proto-Indo-European…

It is from Latin in- + morior (“to die”). The simple verb goes back to Proto-Italic *morje- and Proto-Indo-European *mr̥-ie/o- (“to die”).

It is from Latin in- + ārdēscō (“to catch fire”), an inchoative verb. According to de Vaan the verb of burning, ārdeō, is derived from āridus (“dry”), which belongs to āreō (“to be dry”); he traces…

It is formed from Latin in- (“not”) + iussus, the past participle of iubeō (“to order”). De Vaan traces ⟨iubeō⟩ to Proto-Italic *jouþ-eje/o- and the causative Proto-Indo-European *Hioudh-eie/o- (“to…

It is formed from Latin in- (“not”) + quiētus (“quiet, at rest”), the negative prefix. ⟨Quiētus⟩ belongs with quiēs (“rest”), which de Vaan traces to Proto-Italic *kwiē-ti- and Proto-Indo-European…

It is probably from Latin īnstō (“to stand on, press upon”), formed as a feminine beside an unrecorded noun ⟨*īnstes, -itis⟩, like antistita beside antistes. Lewis and Short connect it with īnsistō…

It is from Latin in- + tābēscō (“to melt, waste away”). De Vaan derives the simple verb from tābeō, from Proto-Italic *tāf-ē- (“to be melting”) and Proto-Indo-European *teh₂-bʰ-eh₁- (“to be…

It is from Latin in- (“not”) + temptātus (“tried”), the participle of temptō (“to touch, try”). The TLL reports the view that Horace formed it on a Greek model. De Vaan explains the verb as an…

It is from Latin in- + tumēscō (“to begin to swell”). The TLL derives it from in- and tumeō (“to swell”), which de Vaan traces to Proto-Italic *tum-ē- and Proto-Indo-European *tum-eh₁- (“to be…

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek λαβύρινθος (labúrinthos, “maze”). Köbler compares Ancient Greek *λάβρυς (*lábrus) “double axe”.

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek ληθαργικός (lēthargikós, “drowsy”), from λήθαργος (lḗthargos, “forgetful; inactive”). Köbler compares λήθη (lḗthē, “forgetfulness”) and ἀργός (argós, “idle”).

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek λήθαργος (lḗthargos, “forgetful; drowsy”). Köbler analyses the Greek word as λήθη (lḗthē, “forgetting”) and ἀργός (argós, “idle”), and Etymonline explains it as…

1. It is probably inherited from Proto-Italic *-lig-ā-, from Proto-Indo-European *liǵ- (“to tie”). De Vaan notes that the simple verb appears only from Catullus on, after many compounds, and…

The origin is uncertain. It is perhaps from Latin luscus (“one-eyed, half-blind”) + canō (“to sing”), by haplology from *luscicinia (“singing in the twilight”); de Vaan, who reads it as “singing in…

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek λυρικός (lurikós, “of or for the lyre”), from λύρα (lúra, “lyre”). Köbler calls the Greek word for the lyre a technical loanword from the Mediterranean area.

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek μαγικός (magikós, “magical”).

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *(s)merdā, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *smerd-h₂- (“stench”). De Vaan takes it as a collective, “what stinks”, which came to mean “excrement”. Pokorny calls…

It is from Latin mīror (“to wonder at, admire”) + -tor. That verb is derived from mīrus (“wonderful, remarkable”), which de Vaan traces to Proto-Italic *smeiro- and Proto-Indo-European *sméi-ro-…

1. The adjective is from Latin murra (“myrrh”) + -eus. The noun was borrowed from Ancient Greek μύρρα (múrrha, “myrrh”). 2. The adjective is from Latin murra (“murra, fluorspar”) + -eus. The OLD…

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *snoutrjō, from Proto-Indo-European *snew-tr-ih₂ (“female nurser”), from a root Proto-Indo-European *snew- (“to suckle”). It is related to nūtrīx “nurse”, and is…

It is from Latin ob- + errō (“to wander”).

It is from Latin odor (“smell”), a verb made from the noun.

It is from Latin oleō (“to smell”) + -idus. De Vaan lists ⟨olēre⟩ under odor (“smell”), with the change of /d/ to /l/ seen in some forms; both go back to Proto-Italic *ode/o- (“to smell”) and…

Its origin is uncertain. The OLD derives it from *ouimentum, from the root of induō “to put on”, as Walde and Hofmann did, but de Vaan sees no support for this in the meaning, and *owe-mento- would…

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek ὄργια (órgia, “secret rites”), which Köbler relates to ἔργον (érgon, “deed, work”).

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek ὄρῡζα (órūza, “rice”). The OLD calls the Greek word of Asiatic origin, and Köbler takes it as a loan from East Iranian; Wiktionary traces it through Iranian to…

It is from Latin paene (“almost”) + īnsula (“island”), “almost an island”. Catullus and some texts of Livy keep the phrase paene īnsula unjoined, and a spelling pēnīnsula is found.

It is a diminutive from Latin pallidus (“pale”) + -ulus. ⟨pallidus⟩ is from palleō (“to be pale”). De Vaan derives ⟨palleō⟩ from Proto-Italic *palwo- (“pale, grey”).

It is a diminutive from Latin pānis (“bread”) + -illus. Its ⟨st⟩ preserves an older stem: the TLL and Wiktionary derive it from the form Proto-Italic *pāstnis, from which pānis itself came. De Vaan…

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek περισκελίς (periskelís, “leg-band, anklet”). Köbler analyses the Greek word as περί (perí, “around”) and σκελίς (skelís, “ham, hind leg, hip”).

It is from Latin pōmum (“fruit”) + -fer (“bearing”), the second part being from ferō (“to carry, bear”).

It is from Latin pōtō (“to drink”) + -tor. The TLL derives it from the same root as pōtus (“drunk”). De Vaan traces this family to Proto-Indo-European *peh₃- (“to drink”), and explains the ⟨pō-⟩ of…

It is from Latin prae- (“in front, past”) + fluō (“to flow”). fluō goes back to Proto-Italic *flow-e/o- and Proto-Indo-European *bʰleuH- (“to flow over”). De Vaan compares Ancient Greek φλύω (phlúō…

It is from Latin prae- + gravō (“to weigh down”). The TLL allows that it may instead have been made from the adjective praegravis (“very heavy”), whose sense of the prefix it matches better. De Vaan…

It is from Latin prīmus (“first”) + aevum (“age”) + -us, and the TLL notes that poets formed compounds in ⟨-aevus⟩ on Greek models.

It is from Latin pudeō (“to be ashamed”) + -bundus. De Vaan traces pudeō to Proto-Italic *pud-ē- (“to be ashamed or shy”), whose further origin is unclear: a link with paviō (“to strike”) or with…

The origin is unknown. The TLL compares culcita for its formation, but notes that neither word has been explained. Wiktionary reports a suggestion, after the American Heritage Dictionary, that it is…

It is from Latin quattuor (“four”) + via (“road”), through the adjective ⟨quadrivius⟩. De Vaan traces ⟨via⟩ to Proto-Italic *wijā- (“road”), Proto-Indo-European *wih₁-éh₂- (“pursuit”), cognate with…

It is from Latin re- + misceō (“to mix”). De Vaan traces misceō to Proto-Italic *mik-sk-e/o- (“to mix”) and Proto-Indo-European *miḱ-sk-e/o-. Cognate with Ancient Greek μίσγω (mísgō, “to mix”), Old…

1. The verb “swim back” is formed from Latin re- + nō (“to swim”). De Vaan traces nō to Proto-Italic *(s)nāje/o- (“to swim”) and Proto-Indo-European *(s)neh₂- (“to swim, float”). 2. The fur garment…

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek ῥόμβος (rhómbos, “circular movement, spinning top, magic wheel; rhombus; turbot”). The Greek noun is an ablaut form beside ῥέμβομαι (rhémbomai, “to wander, roam…

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek σάββατον (sábbaton, “Sabbath”), from Biblical Hebrew שבת (šabbāṯ, “rest, Sabbath”). The plural form follows the Greek plural σάββατα (sábbata).

It is from Latin saeculum (“generation, age, century”) + -āris. De Vaan traces the noun to Proto-Indo-European *seh₂i-tlo- (“lifespan”), from a root meaning “to bind”.

It is from Latin sēligō (“to pick out, select”): the perfect participle of that verb, used as an adjective. The verb is a compound of sē- (“apart”) and legō (“to gather, choose”).

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek σηρικός (sērikós, “of the Seres, silken”). Wiktionary derives the Greek word from σήρ (sḗr, “silkworm”) with the suffix -ικός (-ikós), perhaps going back ultimately…

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *sero- (“liquid”), inherited from Proto-Indo-European *sér-o- (“flowing, liquid”). Cognate with Ancient Greek ὀρός (orós, “whey”) and Sanskrit सर (sará, “flowing…

It is from Latin sinister (“left; unfavourable”) + -ē. De Vaan finds the origin of sinister uncertain; a link with Proto-Indo-European *senh₂- (“to obtain”), proposed by Walde and Hofmann, as if…

It is from Latin temperō (“to mix in due proportion, moderate”) + -iēs. De Vaan derives temperō from the s-stem of tempus (“time”), which goes back to Proto-Italic *tempos- (“stretch, measure”) and…

It is from Latin tenebrae (“darkness”) + -ōsus. Tenebrae continues Proto-Italic *temazros, from Proto-Indo-European *temH- (“dark”).

It is from Latin tri- (“three”) + fōrma (“form, shape”), with the adjective ending ⟨-is⟩. The origin of fōrma is unclear: de Vaan suggests it may go back to a dissimilated ⟨*morma⟩, and that it and…

It is from Latin triumvir (“one of a board of three men”) + -ālis.

Used as an adjective, it is the present participle from Latin vireō (“to be green”). De Vaan calls the etymology of the verb uncertain.

It is from Latin nōmen (“name”) + calō (“to call”) + -tiō; compare nōmenclātor. De Vaan traces ⟨nōmen⟩ to Proto-Italic *nōm-n-, from Proto-Indo-European *h₃neh₃-mn̥ (“name”). He traces ⟨calō⟩ to…