Latin words first recorded in the 2nd century BC

It is from Latin mittō (“to send, throw”) + -ilis, built on the participle ⟨missus⟩. De Vaan traces mittō to Proto-Italic *meit-e/o- and Proto-Indo-European *m(e)ith₂- (“to exchange, remove”), whose…

It is an imitation of a cow's lowing, which de Vaan takes as inherited from Proto-Italic *mūg- and Proto-Indo-European *mū̆g-. He compares Ancient Greek μυκάομαι (mūkáomai, “to low, bellow”), μύζω…

It is from Latin mūgiō (“to low, bellow”) + -tus, an action noun. De Vaan calls mūgiō an onomatopoeic imitation of a cow's lowing, and reconstructs Proto-Italic *mūg- and Proto-Indo-European *mū̆g-…

It is from Latin mūniō (“to fortify”), its past participle, used as an adjective. De Vaan derives ⟨mūniō⟩ from moenia (“city walls”), which goes back to Proto-Italic *moini- (“protective wall”) and…

It is from Latin mūscus (“moss”) + -ōsus. De Vaan derives the noun from Proto-Italic *mū̆sko- and Proto-Indo-European *mū̆s-ko- (“moor, moss”), with cognates such as Lithuanian mūsaĩ (“mould”), Old…

The origin is unknown. De Vaan and the OLD compare Irish mut (“short”), and de Vaan also Scottish Gaelic mutach (“short”), both from a form *mutt-. Köbler, after Pokorny, sets up Proto-Indo-European…

The origin is uncertain. It is perhaps from Etruscan. The TLL lists Italian mucchio (“heap”) and dialect forms of northern Italy and Romansh among its descendants.

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek μυθικός (muthikós), from μῦθος (mûthos, “word, tale”).

It is from Latin natō (“to swim”) + -tor. De Vaan explains that verb as built on an old participle of nō (“to swim”), which goes back to Proto-Italic *(s)nāje/o- (“to swim”) and Proto-Indo-European…

It is a compound from Latin nāvis (“ship”) + frangō (“to break”), for ⟨nāvifragus⟩. De Vaan derives ⟨nāvis⟩ from Proto-Indo-European *neh₂-u- (“ship”), probably “the floating one”, cognate with…

It is from Latin nāvicula (“small ship”) + -ārius. nāvicula is a diminutive of nāvis (“ship”), which goes back to Proto-Indo-European *neh₂-u- (“ship”).

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek νέκταρ (néktar, “drink of the gods”). Köbler calls the further origin of the Greek word unexplained; Wiktionary and Etymonline take it, perhaps, as an old poetic…

It is formed from Latin nē (“lest, that not”) and an old form ⟨*cubi⟩ of ubī (“where”), whose initial consonant survives only in compounds such as alicubi (“somewhere”). De Vaan traces ⟨ubī⟩ to…

It is from Latin niger + -ellus, a diminutive of the adjective meaning “black”. De Vaan calls the origin of niger itself unknown. Varro already names it as the diminutive of ⟨niger⟩.

It is from Latin niger (“black”) + -ō. De Vaan lists it among the derivatives of the adjective, from Varro on, and calls the origin of the adjective unknown.

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *nounāgəmtā, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁neun-dḱmt- (“nine tens”), probably through an older form ⟨*nūnāgintā⟩. Like the other tens in ⟨-gintā⟩, it was first a…

It is from Latin novem (“nine”) + centum (“hundred”). De Vaan explains that ⟨-centī⟩ became ⟨-gentī⟩ after a nasal, so that the ⟨g⟩ must have arisen in the words for seven hundred and nine hundred…

It is from Latin novem (“nine”) + -iēs. The numeral goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₁néwn̥ through Proto-Italic *nown̥.

It is formed from Latin novus (“new”) + -tās; Wiktionary adds that it may be as old as Proto-Indo-European *néwoteh₂ts. De Vaan derives ⟨novus⟩ from Proto-Italic *nowo- and *néwos (“new, young”)…

It is formed from Latin ob (“on account of”) + aes (“bronze, money”) + -ātus, like aerātus. Varro already connects it with the word for money, speaking of a man bound to work off a debt. aes goes…

It is from Latin obscūrus (“dark”) + -tās. The origin of obscūrus is disputed: it is unclear whether the adjective is to be divided ⟨ob-scūrus⟩ or ⟨obs-cūrus⟩, and de Vaan tentatively reconstructs…

The origin is uncertain; the OLD marks it as doubtful. The TLL thinks the word foreign, perhaps Carian, since Pliny the Elder says that the Carians invented greaves. Lewis & Short and Wiktionary…

It is from Latin octōgintā (“eighty”) + -ēsimus. De Vaan lists octōgintā among the derivatives of octō (“eight”), from Proto-Italic *oktō and Proto-Indo-European *h₃(e)ḱtéh₃ (“eight”); for eighty he…

It is from Latin odor (“smell”) + -us. The noun goes back to Proto-Italic *odōs (“odour”) and the root Proto-Indo-European *h₃ed- (“to smell”). It is cognate with Ancient Greek ὄζω (ózō, “to smell”)…

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek Ὀδύσσεια (Odússeia, “the Odyssey”), which Greek formed from the hero's name Ὀδυσσεύς (Odusseús, “Odysseus”) with the suffix -ια (-ia). Köbler, following Frisk…

It is from Latin orbis (“circle, wheel”), according to the OLD and the TLL, though the TLL notes doubts about both its meaning and its form, since a long ⟨ī⟩ would be expected. De Vaan traces it…

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek ὀρχήστρα (orkhḗstra, “space where the chorus danced”), from ὀρχέομαι (orkhéomai, “to dance”).

It is from Latin ōstium (“door”) + -ārius. De Vaan derives ōstium from an adjective ⟨*ōs-to-⟩ “having a mouth”, from ōs (“mouth”), which he traces to Proto-Italic *ōs- and Proto-Indo-European…

It is from Latin pābulor (“to graze; to forage”) + -tiō. pābulor comes from pābulum (“fodder”), which de Vaan derives with pāscō (“to feed, pasture”) from Proto-Italic *pāþlo- and…

It is from Latin pābulum (“fodder, food”) + -or, a deponent verb made from the noun, as Priscian already said. De Vaan explains pābulum from the root of pāscō (“to feed, graze”), Proto-Italic…

1. The food word is a nursery word, imitating the movement of a baby's lips when it eats. Compare English pap and German Papp. 2. The father and bishop is borrowed from Ancient Greek πάπας (pápas…

It is from Latin parēns (“parent”) + -ō. De Vaan takes parēns for an old participle of pariō (“to bear”), preserving a root aorist of Proto-Indo-European *perh₃- (“to provide”). The glossaries seem…

It is from Latin pars (“part”) + -cula, a diminutive. De Vaan reports Schrijver's view that pars, from Proto-Italic *parti-, was formed on the stem of pariō (“to bring forth”) and first meant a lot…

It is from Latin particula (“small part”) + -ātim. De Vaan lists it among the derivatives of pars (“part”), which goes back to Proto-Italic *parti- (“part”); he reports Schrijver's view that this…

It is from Latin patina (“dish, pan”) + -la, a diminutive. The TLL derives it from that noun or from patera (“bowl”). Varro explained such dishes from patulus (“open, spread out”), and Isidore of…

It is from Latin pateō (“to be open”) + -scō, the inchoative of the verb. De Vaan explains pateō as an Italic stative built on ⟨*pat-⟩, the full grade that arose beside the nasal present of pandō…

It is from Latin pendeō (“to hang, be suspended”) + -ulus. The grammarians Priscian and Eutyches connect it with pendō (“to hang up, weigh”), but the TLL judges from its meanings that it is better…

It is a noun use of the neuter of the adjective, from Latin penetrālis (“inner, innermost”). The adjective is formed on penetrō (“to go into”), which de Vaan thinks was made from penitus (“from…

It is from Latin perīculōsus (“dangerous”) + -ē, the adverb of an adjective made from perīculum (“trial, danger”). De Vaan places that noun in the family of pariō (“to give birth to, bear”) and…

It is from Latin per- + meō (“to go, pass”). De Vaan traces meō to Proto-Italic *mejo- and Proto-Indo-European *h₂mei-o- (“to exchange”), assuming that a sense “change places” became “go on…

It is from Latin pertināx (“tenacious, stubborn”) + -ter. pertināx is made from per- and tenāx (“tenacious”), from teneō (“to hold”), which de Vaan traces to Proto-Italic *t(e)nē- and…

It is from Latin per- + ūrō (“to burn”). De Vaan traces ūrō to Proto-Italic *ouse/o- (“to burn”) and Proto-Indo-European *h₁eus-e/o- (“to burn”). He compares Sanskrit ओषति (oṣati, “to burn, scorch”)…

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek φρενιτικός (phrenitikós, “delirious”), altered from ⟨phrenīticus⟩, a spelling also found. The Greek adjective is formed from φρενῖτις (phrenîtis, “delirium”), from…

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek φυσικός (phusikós, “natural, of nature”), which Köbler connects with φύσις (phúsis, “nature”). The noun is the adjective used as a substantive.

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek πειρατικός (peiratikós, “piratical”). It belongs with pīrāta (“pirate”), from πειρατής (peiratḗs), which Wiktionary derives from πεῖρα (peîra, “trial, attempt”).

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek πίσον (píson, “pea”). The TLL notes that the vowel of the Greek word is short, as the Romance forms also show, and that a word borrowed in early times ought to have…

It is from Latin plūs (“more”) + -ālis. plūs goes back to Proto-Indo-European *pleh₁-ios-, the comparative of *pl̥h₁-u- (“much, many”).

The adjective is from Latin poliō (“to polish, smooth”): its perfect passive participle, used as an adjective. De Vaan finds the origin of that verb unclear. An old explanation, revived by…

It is from Latin pōmum (“fruit”) + -ārium. De Vaan records it from Varro on, beside the adjective pōmārius (“of fruit”), under pōmus (“fruit tree”); he tentatively explains that word as a form…

De Vaan takes it as a compound, from Latin post (“behind”) + mūrus (“wall”), from an older form meaning “what is behind the wall”; the old diphthong of ⟨moerus⟩ was not changed to /ī/ as expected in…

It is from Latin pontifex (“pontiff, priest”) + -ālis. De Vaan treats that noun under pōns (“bridge”) and says that most scholars agree it should be read as “bridge-maker”, in the sense of one who…

It is formed from Latin posteā (“afterwards”) + quam (“than, as”). ⟨posteā⟩ is post (“after”) with ea, and de Vaan derives ⟨post⟩ from Proto-Italic *posti (“behind, after”) and Proto-Indo-European…

It is from Latin praegnās + -tiō. De Vaan reports Schwyzer's explanation of praegnās (“pregnant”) as an old possessive compound describing a woman whose giving birth still lies before her, built on…

It is from Latin prae- (“before”) + nōmen (“name”). The noun goes back to Proto-Italic *nōm-n- and Proto-Indo-European *h₃neh₃-mn, although the reconstruction of the root is disputed.

The OLD derives it from Latin prae- (“before”) + pondus (“weight”), with the verb ending ⟨-ō⟩. The TLL also prefers this to a compound with ponderō (“to weigh”), since the senses are hard to explain…

The first part is from Latin prae- (“in front”), so that the word names what lies at the front of the penis; the origin of the second part, the TLL says, has not yet been explained. Walde–Hofmann…

It is from Latin prae- (“before”) + rogō (“to ask”) + -īvus, as the OLD analyses it. Wiktionary derives it from praerogō (“to ask first”), but the TLL notes that this verb is not found before the…

It is from Latin prehendō (“to seize”) + -tiō, a noun of action from the participle stem.

It is formed from Latin prōcūrō (“to take care of, manage”) + -tor. The verb is prō (“for”) with cūrō (“to care for”), from cūra (“care”), which de Vaan derives, uncertainly, from Proto-Italic…

It is from Latin prōficiō (“to make progress”) + -tus, an action noun. prōficiō is from prō- and faciō (“to make”), which de Vaan traces to Proto-Indo-European *dʰh₁-k- (“to make”), from the root…