Latin words first recorded in the 3rd century BC

The origin is disputed. The traditional explanation, which Wiktionary reports, is from Phoenician *ʾyšpn (“island of the hyrax”), with elements matching Biblical Hebrew אִי (ʔī, “island”) and שָׁפָן…

It is from Latin honor (“honour, public office”) + -ārius. De Vaan, who files the noun under its older form honōs, finds no etymology for it beyond Latin.

It is from Latin hordeum (“barley”) + -āceus. De Vaan reconstructs Proto-Italic *χor(s)d-ejo- (“barley”) for hordeum, with a dialect form ⟨fordeum⟩ whose ⟨f-⟩ is probably hypercorrect. He connects…

The OLD explains it as a variant from Latin īlignus (“of the holm-oak”) + -eus; the TLL derives it from īlex (“holm-oak”). De Vaan finds no etymology for the noun, and takes ⟨īlignus⟩ to come from a…

It is formed from Latin in- (“not”) + pār (“equal”). De Vaan finds the origin of ⟨pār⟩ and its long vowel disputed; he prefers to explain it from an older Proto-Italic *paros, comparing Umbrian pars…

1. The adjective “uncultivated” is formed from in- (“not”) and cultus (“tilled, tended”), the participle of colō. De Vaan derives colō (“to till, inhabit, tend”) from Proto-Italic *kʷele/o- and…

It is from Latin in- + cūra (“care”) + -ia; the TLL takes it as formed on the model of iniūria. De Vaan traces that noun to Proto-Italic *kwois-ā- (“care, watch”) and perhaps Proto-Indo-European…

It is from Latin in- (“not”) + docilis (“teachable”). docilis belongs to doceō (“to teach”), which de Vaan traces to Proto-Italic *dok-eje- and Proto-Indo-European *doḱ-ei̯e/o- (“to have someone…

It is from Latin industrius (“diligent, industrious”) + -ē. Köbler also records a form ⟨industrē⟩.

It is formed from Latin iners (“unskilled, idle”) + -ia. The adjective is formed from the negative in- (“not”) and ars (“skill”), which de Vaan derives from Proto-Italic *arti- and…

It is from Latin in- (“in, into”) + fodiō (“to dig”). De Vaan traces fodiō to Proto-Italic *foþ-i- and Proto-Indo-European *bhodh-i- (“to poke, dig”); the verb is cognate with Hittite padda-i (“to…

It is from Latin in- + friō (“to crumble”). De Vaan lists it with the derivatives of the simple verb, which he takes as made from an adjective Proto-Italic *frio-, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰriH-o-…

It is formed from Latin infundō (“to pour in”) + -bulum.

1. The verb “cut into” is from Latin in- + secō (“to cut”). 2. The verb “tell” is inherited from Proto-Italic *en-sekʷ-e/o-, from the root Proto-Indo-European *sekʷ- (“to follow”) of sequor; the…

1. The verb “sow, graft” is formed from Latin in- + serō (“to sow”). De Vaan traces this serō to Proto-Italic *si-se/o- (“to sow”) and the reduplicated present Proto-Indo-European *si-sh₁-e/o- (“to…

It is from Latin īnserō (“to graft”) + -tiō. De Vaan lists the verb, “to plant, graft on”, under serō (“to sow”), which goes back to Proto-Italic *si-se/o- and Proto-Indo-European *si-sh1-e/o- (“to…

It is from Latin in- + sternō (“to spread, strew”). De Vaan traces the simple verb to Proto-Italic *sterna- and Proto-Indo-European *st(e)r-n-h₃- (“to spread, strew”); it is cognate with Old Irish…

It is from Latin in- + stīllō (“to fall in drops, drip”), and stīllō is formed from stīlla (“drop”). De Vaan takes stīlla as perhaps a diminutive of stīria (“icicle”), from Proto-Italic…

It is from Latin inter (“between, during”) + diū (“by day”). Nussbaum, whom de Vaan follows, takes it as two originally independent adverbs, "in the meantime" and "by day". De Vaan explains diū as…

It is from Latin inter- + quiēscō (“to rest”). De Vaan explains quiēscō as a present built on the noun quiēs (“rest”), on the model of verbs such as gnōscō.

It is an adverb from Latin inter (“between, among”) + secus (“alongside”), with a form ⟨*intrim⟩, on the model of extrinsecus (“from outside”). Georges and Lewis and Short give its first part as…

It is formed from Latin invidia (“envy, ill will”) + -ōsus (“full of”). The noun belongs with invideō (“to envy”), from videō (“to see”), which de Vaan derives from Proto-Italic *wid-ē- (“to see”)…

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek ἶρις (îris, “rainbow; iris plant”). The Greek word is of uncertain origin; it has traditionally been traced to Proto-Indo-European *wei- (“to bend, turn”). The…

De Vaan derives it from Proto-Indo-European *(H)ieug-os- (“yoked animals, team”), a neuter s-stem, from the root of iungō (“to yoke”): in Latin it came to mean the land a team of oxen could plough…

The origin is uncertain. It is often connected with iūncus (“rush, reed”), but Etymonline notes phonetic difficulties, and Köbler calls the second part unexplained. Pokorny sets it, after Walde and…

It is from Latin laxō (“to widen, relax”) + -mentum. De Vaan lists ⟨laxāre⟩ among the derivatives of laxus (“wide, loose”), which goes back to Proto-Italic *(s)lakso- and Proto-Indo-European…

It is formed from Latin levis (“light”) + -ter, the adverbial suffix. De Vaan traces ⟨levis⟩ to Proto-Italic *leχu- and Proto-Indo-European *h₁legʷʰ-u- (“light”), cognate with Ancient Greek ἐλαχύς…

It is formed from Latin libēns (“willing, glad”) + -ter, the adverb of that participle of libet (“it pleases”). De Vaan derives libet, older ⟨lubet⟩, from Proto-Italic *luf-ē- (“to desire”), from…

It is from Latin lībrō (“to level, balance”) + -tor. That verb comes from lībra (“balance; pound”), which de Vaan traces to Proto-Italic *leiþra- (“pound”); the root is unidentified, and he notes…

It is a denominative verb from Latin lībra (“balance, pound”). De Vaan traces lībra to Proto-Italic *leiþra- (“pound”), and thinks the name of the Sicilian coin Ancient Greek λίτρα (lítra) was…

It is from Latin lōtus + -ium, from the participle of lavō (“to wash”). Wiktionary explains the name by the wide use of urine for washing and bleaching, and Isidore already said the fluid was…

It is formed from Latin lūgeō (“to mourn”) + -tus, an action noun. De Vaan derives lūgeō from Proto-Italic *loug-eje- and Proto-Indo-European *loug-eie- (“to swallow, gasp”), comparing Ancient Greek…

It is from Latin lūmen (“light”) + -āris. The TLL likewise derives it from ⟨lūmen⟩ and compares the adjective lūmināris. De Vaan lists it among the derivatives of lūx “light”.

It is from Latin lutum (“mud, clay”) + -ō. De Vaan lists it among the derivatives of lutum, which goes back to Proto-Italic *luto- and Proto-Indo-European *l(H)u-to- (“dirt”).

It is from Latin luxuriōsus (“given to excess, luxurious”) + -ē. De Vaan lists ⟨luxuriōsus⟩ among the derivatives of luxus (“excess”), which he traces, if the etymology is right, to Proto-Italic…

It is from Latin luxuria (“excess, luxury”) + -ōsus. De Vaan derives luxuria from an adjective *luxuros, built on luxus (“extravagance”), and traces that, if the etymology is right, to Proto-Italic…

It is a frozen vocative, from Latin mactus (“honoured, blessed”), treated as indeclinable. De Vaan traces the adjective to Proto-Italic *makto- (“honoured, blessed”). For its further origin he finds…

It is from Punic. The OLD compares a Hebrew word meaning “ruin”. The TLL notes that it is disputed whether it is the same word as māgālia (“huts”) or a Roman reshaping of that word after mappa…

1. The first mariscus is perhaps from Latin mare (“sea”): de Vaan notes that it is considered obscure but may well be a derivative of the word for sea, and reconstructs the adjective as Proto-Italic…

It is from Latin matula (“vessel, pot”) + -la, a diminutive. The origin of matula is uncertain.

It is from Latin *matea (“hoe”), an unattested noun, with the diminutive suffix -ola. De Vaan derives the noun from Proto-Italic *matejā- and Proto-Indo-European *mot- (“club, hoe”), perhaps a form…

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek μίνθη (mínthē, “mint”), adapted to Latin. The TLL holds instead that Latin and Greek both took the word from some Mediterranean or Asian language, and Wiktionary…

It is formed from Latin metō (“to reap, mow”) + -tis, the noun suffix. De Vaan derives ⟨metō⟩ from Proto-Italic *met-e- (“to reap”) and Proto-Indo-European *met-e- (“to measure”), cognate with Welsh…

It is from Latin mīliārius (“of a thousand”), used as a neuter noun, and goes back to mīlle (“thousand”).

It is probably inherited from Proto-Italic *meljo-, from Proto-Indo-European *melh₂- (“to grind”), “the grain to be ground”. De Vaan takes it from ⟨*meliom⟩ with the vowel change seen in nihil and…

It is from Latin minimus (“smallest, least”), its neuter, used as a noun and an adverb. De Vaan derives ⟨minimus⟩ from the stem of minor (“smaller”), from Proto-Italic *minōs (“less”); behind it lie…

It is from Latin minūtus (“small; petty”) + -ē, the adverb of the adjective, which is the participle of minuō (“to make smaller, lessen”). De Vaan derives that verb from Proto-Italic *minu-je/o-…

It is from Latin mīrificus (“wonderful”) + -ē. mīrificus is a compound of mīrus (“wonderful”) and faciō (“to make”). De Vaan traces mīrus to Proto-Italic *smeiro- and Proto-Indo-European *sméi-ro-…

It is probably from Latin *minuscellus, a diminutive of minusculus (“somewhat smaller”), contracted to ⟨mīscellus⟩; the meaning “mixed, miscellaneous” then came from association with misceō (“to…

The OLD calls its origin unknown. Köbler takes it as borrowed from Ancient Greek μυτίλος (mutílos, “a kind of mussel”), a word of unclear origin, and Lewis & Short equate it with μύτυλος (mútulos)…

It is from Latin modius (“a dry measure”) + -olus, a diminutive. Modius is formed on modus (“measure”), which de Vaan traces to Proto-Italic *medo- (“measure, judgement”) and Proto-Indo-European…

It is formed from Latin mordeō (“to bite”) + -tus, the noun suffix. De Vaan takes ⟨mordeō⟩ from Proto-Italic *mordeje-, an iterative present Proto-Indo-European *h₂mord-(e)ye- (“to crush, bite”)…

It is from Latin mortuus (“dead; a corpse”) + -ārium (“place for”), the neuter, used as a noun, of the adjective mortuārius (“of the dead”).

Its origin is uncertain. Saalfeld, Lewis & Short and Gaffiot connect it with Ancient Greek ἁλμυρίς (halmurís, “saltiness, brine”), which Wiktionary describes as an old fishermen's term, used beside…

It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *mews-, cognate with Old High German mos, English moss and Lithuanian musaĩ.

It is from Latin mūtuus (“borrowed, lent”) + -ō. De Vaan traces mūtuus, like mūtō (“to change”), to a noun Proto-Italic *moito- (“(object of) change”), for which he considers Proto-Indo-European…

It is from Latin myrtus (“myrtle”) + -eus. The noun is from Ancient Greek μύρτος (múrtos, “myrtle”); Pliny the Elder already noted that the tree kept its Greek name.

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek μύρτος (múrtos, “myrtle”). Pliny the Elder notes that the tree keeps its Greek name. Isidore of Seville derived it from mare (“sea”), because it grows best on the…

It is from Latin nebula (“mist, fog”) + -ōsus (“full of”). De Vaan traces the noun to Proto-Italic *nefelā- and Proto-Indo-European *nebh-e-lo- (“small cloud”); it is cognate with Ancient Greek…

It is from Latin necessārius (“necessary”), its ablative used as an adverb. De Vaan lists ⟨necessārius⟩ and ⟨necesse⟩ among the derivatives of cēdō (“to yield, go away”), from Proto-Italic *kesde/o-…