Latin words first recorded in the 1st century BC

It is from Latin ostentō (“to show, display”) + -tiō. The verb ostentō is a frequentative of ostendō (“to show”), made from its past participle; ostendō belongs to tendō (“to stretch”), which de…

It is from Latin ostendō (“to show”) + -tus, a verbal noun. De Vaan counts the verb among the compounds of tendō (“to stretch”), which goes back to Proto-Italic *tend- and the root…

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

It is from Latin percontor (“to inquire”) + -tiō. The OLD derives the verb from per- and contus (“pole”), as if “to sound with a pole”; Wiktionary calls this one of several uncertain suggestions…

It is from Latin per- + domō (“to tame”). De Vaan traces domō to Proto-Italic *domaje- and the causative Proto-Indo-European *domh₂-eie/o- (“to tame”), comparing Sanskrit दमयति (damáyati) and…

It is from Latin perītus (“experienced, skilled”) + -ia. De Vaan places perītus with perīculum (“trial”) under a stem Proto-Italic *per(e)i- (“to experience”), which he connects with pariō (“to…

It is from Latin permūtō (“to change completely, exchange”) + -tiō. De Vaan lists ⟨permūtāre⟩ among the compounds of mūtō (“to change, exchange”), which, like mūtuus (“borrowed, mutual”)…

It is from Latin perpetior (“to endure to the end”) + -tiō, from the participle ⟨perpessus⟩. The verb is a compound of per- and patior (“to suffer”), whose origin de Vaan considers uncertain.

It is from Latin per- + rārō (“seldom”), or, as Georges and Köbler have it, the adverb of perrārus (“very rare”). rārō is the adverb of rārus (“thin, rare”), whose origin de Vaan leaves open: links…

It is formed from Latin perspiciō (“to see through”) + -uus. The verb is per- (“through”) and speciō (“to look”), which de Vaan derives from Proto-Italic *spekje/o- and Proto-Indo-European…

It is from Latin persuādeō (“to convince”) + -tiō. De Vaan lists persuādeō with suādeō (“to recommend, advise”) among the derivatives of suāvis (“sweet”): suādeō is a causative, Proto-Italic…

It is from Latin perturbō (“to throw into confusion”) + -tiō. De Vaan lists ⟨perturbō⟩ under turba (“commotion, crowd”), whose origin he finds unclear: the link with Sanskrit त्वरते (tvarate…

It is from Latin placeō (“to please”), its participle used as an adjective. De Vaan traces placeō to Proto-Italic *plak-ē- and Proto-Indo-European *pl(e)h₂k- (“to agree, be pleasant”), whose only…

It is from Latin plangō (“to beat, lament”) + -or. De Vaan traces plangō to Proto-Italic *plāng-e/o- (“to hit”) and the present Proto-Indo-European *plh₂-n-g- (“to hit”); the sense moved from…

Used as an adjective, it is the past participle from Latin polluō (“to defile, pollute”). De Vaan analyses the verb as a compound of *por- and a verb from Proto-Indo-European *l(H)u- (“to soil”).

It is from Latin praecīdō (“to cut off in front”) + -tiō, built on ⟨praecīs-⟩, the stem of the participle praecīsus.

It is from Latin praedor (“to plunder”) + -bundus, from praeda (“booty”). De Vaan lists the noun among the derivatives of prehendō (“to seize”): it is usually explained as ⟨*prai-χed-ā-⟩ “what one…

It is formed from Latin prae- (“before”) + ēmineō (“to stand out”).

It is from Latin prae- + -mineō, with the same root as ēmineō (“to stand out”) and immineō (“to overhang”). De Vaan traces that root to Proto-Italic *men-ē- (“to stick out”) and Proto-Indo-European…

It is from Latin praepōnō + -tiō, a noun of action from the verb meaning “to place in front”. In its grammatical sense it is a semantic loan from Ancient Greek πρόθεσις (próthesis), which the…

It is from Latin praestāns (“outstanding”) + -ia. praestāns is the present participle of praestō (“to excel”), a compound of prae (“before”) and stō (“to stand”), which de Vaan traces to…

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek προοίμιον (prooímion, “prelude, introduction”). Beekes explains the Greek word as a noun made from a phrase, properly what comes before the song, οἴμη (oímē, “song…

It is from Latin prōpōnō (“to set forth, put forward”) + -tiō, an action noun. It is the source, through Old French proposicion, of English proposition.

It is from Latin proprius (“one's own”) + -ē. De Vaan follows Forssman in tracing proprius to Proto-Italic *prijo- (“own, dear”) and Proto-Indo-European *priH-o- (“own, dear”), with the prefix prō-…

It is from Latin prō- + turbō (“to disturb, throw into confusion”).

It is from Latin prōvidēns (“foreseeing”) + -ter, the present participle of prōvideō (“to foresee, take precautions”), itself a compound of prō- (“forward”) and videō (“to see”).

It is from Latin prūdēns (“foreseeing, wise”) + -ter. De Vaan explains prūdēns as the regular outcome of *prowidēns, from videō (“to see”), which he traces to Proto-Indo-European *uid-eh₁- (“to see”).

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek ψάλλω (psállō, “to pluck, play a stringed instrument”). In Greek the verb meant to pluck or twitch a string with the fingers rather than with a plectrum, and in the…

It is from Latin re- + arguō (“to make clear, prove”). The prefix appears in its older form ⟨red-⟩ before the vowel. arguō is probably a verb made from an adjective meaning “bright”, continued in…

It is from Latin remittō (“to send back, let go, relax”) + -tiō. The verb is re- with mittō (“to send, let go”), which de Vaan traces to Proto-Italic *meit-e/o- and Proto-Indo-European *m(e)ith₂-…

It is from Latin repetō (“to seek again; to claim back; to repeat”) + -tiō, an action noun formed on the supine stem ⟨repetīt-⟩.

It is from Latin requīrō (“to search for; to need”): the neuter plural of its perfect participle ⟨requīsītus⟩, used as a noun. The verb is a compound of quaerō (“to seek”), which de Vaan traces to…

It is from Latin saltus (“forest pass, woodland pasture”) + -ōsus. The suffix forms adjectives meaning “full of”, so the word describes country full of wooded valleys and glades.

It is from Latin scelerātus (“wicked, accursed”) + -ē. scelerātus is formed from scelus (“crime”), which de Vaan traces to Proto-Italic *skelos and Proto-Indo-European *skel-os (“curve, bending”)…

The origin is unknown. De Vaan says it could in theory come from a root Proto-Indo-European *(s)krei-, to which Pokorny assigns Lithuanian skríeti (“to rotate, circle, fly”) and Lithuanian kreĩvas…

It is apparently a compound from Latin sēmi- (“half”) + ās (“the as, a unit”), “half an as”. The prefix is from Proto-Italic *sēmi-, from Proto-Indo-European *sēm-i (“in one”), whose meaning shifted…

It is formed from Latin -im on sēparātus, the participle of sēparō (“to separate”). sēparō is sē- (“apart”) and parō (“to prepare”), which de Vaan traces to Proto-Italic *parāje/o- and a noun…

It is from Latin signō (“to mark, seal”) + -tor. De Vaan lists the verb, from Plautus on, among the derivatives of signum (“sign, mark”), which goes back to Proto-Italic *sekno- (“statue, sign”) and…

1. The word for forming a pool is formed from Latin stāgnum (“pool, pond”) + -ō. stāgnum may go back to Proto-Italic *stāgno-, which de Vaan gives with a query, and to the root Proto-Indo-European…

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *strepe/o-, which de Vaan takes back to Proto-Indo-European *strep-e/o-, though it is uncertain that the root is Proto-Indo-European, since it is found only in…

It is from Latin sub- + gradior (“to step, walk”). De Vaan traces that verb to Proto-Italic *grad-(e)i- and Proto-Indo-European *g(h)rd(h)-(e)i-; he suggests that the compounds have ⟨-gredior⟩…

It is from Latin super- (“over, above”) + stō (“to stand”). stō goes back to Proto-Italic *sta-ē-je/o- (“to stand, be standing”) and Proto-Indo-European *sth₂-eh₁-ie/o- (“to stand”).

It is formed from Latin taedet (“it wearies, disgusts”) + -ium. De Vaan reconstructs Proto-Italic *taidē- for the verb, and *taidro- for the related adjective taeter (“foul”), but finds no good…

It is from Latin testis (“testicle”) + -culus, a diminutive. De Vaan explains the use of testis (“witness”) for the testicle by comparison with Greek usage, where the testicles are called the two…

It is from Latin torpeō (“to be numb”) + -scō, an inchoative verb. De Vaan traces torpeō to Proto-Italic *torp-ē- (“to be stiff”) and Proto-Indo-European *trp-eh₁- (“to be stiff”). Cognate with…

It is from Latin trādūcō (“to lead across”) + -tiō, from trāns (“across”) and dūcō (“to lead”).

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

It is formed from Latin trānsgredior + -tus, from trānsgredior (“to step across, cross”).

It is from Latin tremō (“to tremble”) + -bundus. De Vaan traces tremō to Proto-Italic *trem-e/o- and Proto-Indo-European *tr(e)m- (“to tremble”).

It is from Latin tumultus (“uproar; sudden rising”) + -ārius. De Vaan puts tumultus with tumeō (“to swell”), from Proto-Indo-European *tum-eh₁- (“to be swelling”), since its meaning suggests this…

It is from Latin venēnum (“poison”) + -ātus; Lewis & Short treat it as the participle of venēnō (“to poison”). De Vaan traces venēnum to Proto-Italic *wenes-no-, a derivative of venus (“desire…

It is from Latin vītō (“to avoid”) + -bundus (“adjective suffix”). The origin of the verb is disputed: Walde and Hofmann took it from a preverb meaning “apart” and a verb of going, while de Vaan…

It is from Latin vituperō (“to find fault with, censure”) + -tiō. The OLD derives that verb from vitium (“fault”), comparing perhaps aequiperō; Wiktionary suggests ⟨vitium⟩ with parō. De Vaan traces…

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek ἀμφιθέατρον (amphithéatron), from ἀμφί (amphí, “on both sides”) and θέατρον (théatron, “theatre”). The TLL notes that the building and its name were both invented…

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek ἄνθραξ (ánthrax, “coal, live coal”). The further origin of the Greek word is unclear; Beekes, as Etymonline reports, takes it to be probably from a pre-Greek…

It is formed from Latin aperiō (“to open”) + -ūra, on the stem of the past participle ⟨apertus⟩. The verb goes back to Proto-Italic *ap-wer-je- (“to open”) and Proto-Indo-European *h₂u̯er-i(e/o)-…

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek ἀρθρῖτις (arthrîtis), the feminine of an adjective meaning “of the joints”, from ἄρθρον (árthron, “joint”). Köbler traces the Greek word to Proto-Indo-European…

It is from Latin calida (“hot water”) + -ārius, formed on the noun for hot water, the feminine of calidus (“hot”). Georges derives it from the short form caldus, and VOLI from the verb caleō (“to be…

It is from Latin cardō (“door hinge, pivot”) + -ālis. Etymonline calls the figurative sense “principal, chief” a use of the literal “of a hinge”, since a cardō is that on which something turns or…

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek χρῶμα (khrôma, “colour, complexion”). The Greek noun first meant the surface of the body or the skin, then the colour of the skin and colour in general; Greek also…