Latin words first recorded in the 3rd century BC

It is a natural exclamation, imitative in origin. The OLD compares Ancient Greek ὦ (ô) and similar interjections in Gothic and other languages.

The origin is uncertain. The OLD suggests that it may be the same as Ancient Greek ὠή (ōḗ), Köbler compares the Greek word and eho, and the TLL compares the Greek interjection while noting that its…

The OLD takes it as borrowed from Ancient Greek ἔλαιον (élaion, “olive oil”), adapted from an older form with ⟨ϝ⟩; it compares olīva “olive” and oleum “oil”. Köbler derives it from ⟨olīva⟩.

The origin is uncertain. Varro gives an older form ⟨osmen⟩ and derives it from ōs (“mouth”), as what is first uttered by the mouth; de Vaan doubts that ⟨osmen⟩ ever existed. Benveniste compared…

It is from Latin ōmen (“sign, omen”), a deponent verb. Varro gives an older form ⟨osmen⟩ for the noun, which de Vaan suspects may be a folk-etymological invention. He finds a link with a Hittite…

It is formed from Latin ob- + mittō (“to let go, send”), through ⟨*ommittō⟩. Etymonline takes the prefix to be intensive here. De Vaan derives mittō from Proto-Italic *meit-e/o-, from…

It is from Latin omnis (“all”) + potēns (“powerful”). De Vaan derives potēns from a verb Proto-Italic *pot-ē- (“to be master”), built on Proto-Indo-European *pót-i- (“master, lord”), compare…

It is formed from Latin onus (“load, burden”) + -ō. De Vaan traces the noun to Proto-Italic *ones- and Proto-Indo-European *h₃en-os (“load”), cognate with Sanskrit अनस् (ánas-, “heavy cart”) and…

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *ones- (“load”), inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₃en-os (“load”). If Hittite anii̯e- (“to work, carry out”) belongs here, which is not certain in meaning, the…

It is formed from Latin ob- + -perior, the element also in experior (“to try”); the OLD compares perīculum (“trial, danger”) and Ancient Greek πεῖρα (peîra, “trial, attempt”).

The origin is disputed. The OLD sees no necessary connection with oppidum (“town”), but de Vaan lists it under that noun and reports Nussbaum's explanation as “to the ground”, hence “utterly”, from…

It is from Latin opportūnus (“favourable, convenient”) + -ē. De Vaan lists opportūnus among the words related to portus (“harbour”), which he traces to Proto-Italic *portu- (“harbour”) and…

It is formed from Latin ob- (“against”) + premō (“to press”). premō goes back to Proto-Italic *pres- and Proto-Indo-European *pr-es- (“to press”); its present stem ⟨prem-⟩ was probably made on the…

It is from Latin ob- (“against”) + pugnō (“to fight”). Wiktionary derives pugnō from pugnus (“fist”), from Proto-Italic *pugnos and Proto-Indo-European *pewǵ- (“to prick, punch”), the root of pungō…

It is formed from Latin optimus (“best”) + -ē, and serves as the superlative of bene. The origin of the adjective is debated: Cowgill, Leumann and Sihler, whom de Vaan follows, take it as a…

It is from Latin opulentus (“wealthy”) + -ia. De Vaan lists opulentus among the derivatives of ops (“power, resources”), from Proto-Italic *opi-, and mentions Livingston's view that adjectives in…

It is formed from Latin ops (“power, wealth”) + -ulentus (“full of”). De Vaan derives ⟨ops⟩ from Proto-Italic *opi- and Proto-Indo-European *h₃e/op-(i-) (“ability, force”), and cites Livingston's…

The suffix is inherited from Proto-Italic *-ōs, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *-ōs, the nominative singular of masculine and feminine s-stems, from earlier *-oss with the nominative ending *-s…

It is from Latin orbus (“bereaved”) + -tās. De Vaan traces orbus to Proto-Italic *orfo- (“heir, orphan”) and Proto-Indo-European *h₃orbʰ-o- (“turning, one who is turned over”), hence “inheritance…

It is from Latin ōs (“mouth”) + citō (“to set in motion”), though the OLD gives this only as likely; the TLL thinks that ⟨ōs⟩ and ⟨citāre⟩, used side by side, grew together. De Vaan lists it among…

It is from Latin ōsculum (“kiss”) + -ō. ōsculum is a derivative of ōs (“mouth”), which de Vaan traces to Proto-Italic *ōs- and Proto-Indo-European *h₃eh₁-os (“mouth”), comparing Sanskrit आस् (ā́s-…

It is a diminutive, from Latin ōs (“mouth”) + -culum, “little mouth”, as Varro already saw. De Vaan reconstructs ōs as Proto-Italic *ōs- and Proto-Indo-European *h₃eh₁-os (“mouth”), cognate with…

It is the frequentative from Latin ostendō (“to show”) + -tō (formed on its participle ⟨ostentus⟩). De Vaan counts ⟨ostendō⟩ among the old forms of ob with ⟨obs-⟩ (as in oscen), and lists it among…

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek ὄστρεον (óstreon, “oyster”). The TLL takes the feminine to have grown out of the neuter plural, the neuter perhaps being restored after the Greek in more refined…

The suffix continues older -ōssus, since a single /s/ would have become /r/ between vowels. The spelling with ⟨ss⟩ is ascribed to the ancients by Marius Victorinus and turns up in manuscripts and…

It is from Latin ōtiōsus (“at leisure, idle”) + -ē, from ōtium (“leisure”), for which de Vaan finds no etymology.

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *owā-, probably from a cry of joy. De Vaan compares Ancient Greek εὐάζω (euázō, “to cry for joy”), made from cries such as εὐαί (euaí), but notes that the Latin…

It is from Latin pācō (“to pacify”), its past participle, used as an adjective. De Vaan derives ⟨pācō⟩ from pāx (“peace”), from Proto-Italic *pāk- (“agreement, peace”) and Proto-Indo-European…

It is formed from Latin pāx (“peace”) + -ficō (“making”). Lewis and Short explain it as “peace-making”, with faciō (“to make”) as its second part. The noun goes back to Proto-Italic *pāk-…

It is formed from Latin pacīscor (“to agree, bargain”) + -tiō. De Vaan treats the verb with pāx (“peace”), from Proto-Italic *pak-e/o- (“to make an agreement”) and Proto-Indo-European *ph₂ḱ- (“to…

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek φαινόλη (phainólē, “cloak”); the OLD and Köbler give the Greek form as ⟨phainólēs⟩. The TLL notes that it is closest to a Doric form in ⟨-a⟩ used by Rhinthon of…

It is probably inherited from Proto-Italic *pāg-slo- (“spade, pole”), an instrument noun from the root of pangō (“to fix, drive in”). De Vaan derives both pālus (“stake”) and this word from that…

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek παλαίστρα (palaístra, “wrestling school”). Köbler relates the Greek word to παλαίω (palaíō, “to wrestle”), whose further origin is unclear. Servius derived it from…

It is from Latin pallium (“cloak, mantle”) + -ātus (“provided with”), a derivation the grammarian Priscian already gives. De Vaan finds no etymology for palla and its family and thinks it may be a…

It is from Latin pallium (“cloak, mantle”) + -olum, a colloquial diminutive. De Vaan lists pallium among the derivatives of palla (“mantle”), for which he finds no etymology; it may be a loanword.

It is related to palla (“a woman's mantle”), but its further origin is unknown. De Vaan finds no etymology for ⟨palla⟩: it could go back to a form such as ⟨*pHl-n-⟩, or have the full grade seen in…

The origin is unknown. De Vaan finds a sequence ⟨palp-⟩ hard to explain from Proto-Indo-European; Serbat posits a verb meaning “to move repeatedly” to account for palpebra (“eyelid”) and palpitō…

The origin is uncertain. The OLD and de Vaan take the first part from the root of palleō “to be pale”, so that the bird would be named after its grey colour, with the same ending as columba. The…

The OLD and Lewis and Short equate it with Greek, so that it is borrowed from Ancient Greek παπαῖ (papaî). Wiktionary takes it as an onomatopoeic interjection shared by the languages of the…

It is a diminutive, from Latin papula (“pimple, pustule”) + -illa. Köbler compares Pokorny's root Proto-Indo-European *pap- (“to swell”). Festus explained the name by the likeness of nipples to…

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek παρασιτικός (parasitikós, “of a parasite”). The Greek adjective belongs with παράσιτος (parásitos, “table companion”), from παρά (pará, “beside”). In Latin it is…

It is from Latin parātus (“prepared, ready”) + -ē. parātus is the participle of parō (“to prepare”), which de Vaan traces to Proto-Italic *parāje/o- and Proto-Indo-European *prh₃-o- (“providing”)…

It is formed from Latin parcus (“thrifty, sparing”) + -ē, the adverb ending. ⟨parcus⟩ belongs to parcō (“to spare”), whose origin is unclear: de Vaan rejects the LIV's link with Sanskrit “to fill…

It is formed from Latin parcō (“to spare”); the TLL suggests it was made on the model of largus (“generous”) beside ⟨largior⟩. De Vaan reports the proposal of Keller and Weiss to derive ⟨parcō⟩ from…

It is formed from Latin pār (“equal”) + -ter. The origin of pār itself is disputed, and de Vaan finds no good etymology for it.

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *parVsā-, which also gave Umbrian parfam (“a certain bird”), an accusative. The further origin is uncertain. De Vaan derives the Proto-Italic form from an earlier…

It is formed from Latin parricīda (“murderer of a near relative”) + -ium. The origin of ⟨parricīda⟩ is uncertain: de Vaan thinks the first part was ⟨*pāri-⟩, with ⟨-rr-⟩ as in Iuppiter, and finds…

It is from Latin parcō (“to spare”) + -mōnia. De Vaan explains that it was built on the perfect parsī, more common in Old Latin than later. He traces parcō to Proto-Italic *pe-ark-e/o- and…

It is from Latin pariō (“to bear, give birth”) + -uriō, a desiderative. De Vaan counts it among the two oldest presents in ⟨-urīre⟩, perhaps modelled on ēsuriō (“to be hungry”), and traces pariō to…

It is from Latin parvus (“small”), its neuter, used as a noun and adverb. De Vaan derives ⟨parvus⟩ from Proto-Italic *pauro-, from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂u-ro-, with metathesis of ⟨*-wr-⟩; ⟨parum⟩…

It is a diminutive from Latin parvus (“small”) + -ulus. De Vaan traces ⟨parvus⟩ to Proto-Italic *pauro- and Proto-Indo-European *peh₂u-ro- (“little”), cognate with Ancient Greek παῦρος (paûros…

It is from Latin pandō (“to spread out”): the neuter of its past participle ⟨passus⟩ “spread out (to dry), dried”, used as a noun with vīnum (“wine”) understood.

It is perhaps from Latin pateō (“to be open, spread out”), for its broad open shape; the OLD compares patina (“dish”). Others connect Greek πατάνη (patánē, “flat dish”). Ortiz compares an Etruscan…

It is formed from Latin pater (“father”) + -nus. De Vaan derives pater from Proto-Italic *pater-, from Proto-Indo-European *ph₂tḗr (“father”), cognate with Oscan patir, Sanskrit पितृ (pitṛ́…

It is from Latin pateō (“to be open, extend”) + -bulum, formed like latibulum beside lateō. Wiktionary takes it literally as a device on which one is stretched out. De Vaan explains pateō, from…

It is from Latin patior (“to suffer, endure”), its present participle, used as an adjective. De Vaan reconstructs Proto-Italic *pati- for the verb and finds its origin unclear: a link with Ancient…

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek πατάνη (patánē, “dish”); Wiktionary notes that the weakening of ⟨a⟩ to ⟨i⟩ shows it to be an early borrowing. The OLD compares pateō “to be open”. Varro derived it…

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *patrijo-, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *ph₂tr-iHo- (“of a father”), from pater “father”. Servius notes that it can come from ⟨pater⟩ as well as patria…

The origin is uncertain. It is perhaps from Latin pater (“father”), as the Romans, among them Priscian, and the OLD and some modern scholars hold, with the verbal suffix -ō, perhaps through pater…

It is from Latin patrōnus (“patron, protector”), its feminine form. That noun is formed from pater (“father”), which de Vaan traces to Proto-Italic *pater- and Proto-Indo-European *ph₂tḗr…