Latin words first recorded in the 3rd century BC

It is formed from Latin audāx (“bold, daring”) + -ia. audāx is from audeō (“to dare”), which de Vaan derives from avidus (“greedy”): it first meant “to want very much”, as the relic ⟨sōdēs⟩ “if you…

It is from Latin audāx (“bold”) + -ter. The adjective audāx is from audeō (“to dare”), which de Vaan derives from avidus (“greedy”): the verb at first meant “to want very much”, as the polite…

It is from Latin ab- + fugiō (“to flee”), with the prefix in the form ⟨au-⟩. De Vaan lists it among the derivatives of fugiō, from Plautus on, and traces that verb to Proto-Italic *fug-i- and…

It is from Latin aureus (“golden”) + -olus, a diminutive. De Vaan lists both adjectives among the derivatives of aurum (“gold”), which goes back to Proto-Italic *auso- and Proto-Indo-European…

It is from Latin auris (“ear”) + -cula, a diminutive. De Vaan traces auris to Proto-Italic *aus(i)- (“ear”) and Proto-Indo-European *h₂eu(-)s- (“ear”), comparing Old Irish áu (“ear”), Ancient Greek…

It is from Latin auris (“ear”) + -ītus. De Vaan traces auris to Proto-Italic *aus(i)- and Proto-Indo-European *h₂eu(-)s- (“ear”). Ancient grammarians, as reported by Paulus' epitome of Festus, said…

It is probably inherited from Proto-Italic *auskoltā, a compound whose first part is the old unrhotacized stem *aus- of auris (“ear”). De Vaan traces auris to Proto-Italic *aus(i)- and…

It is a compound from Latin avis (“bird”) + -spex (“who looks”), from speciō (“to look”); de Vaan derives it from ⟨*au̯i-speks⟩, as auceps “bird-catcher” is from ⟨*au̯i-kaps⟩. The first part goes…

It is from Latin auspicātus (“having taken the auspices”), the participle of auspicor (“to take the auspices”), in the neuter ablative used as an ablative absolute, literally “the auspices having…

The origin is uncertain. De Vaan suggests that it may be formed from autem (“but, however”), as negō is from nec. Lewis & Short take it as a lengthened form of aiō (“to say yes”), comparing aestimō…

It is from Latin auxilium (“help, aid”) + -ō, a denominative verb. De Vaan lists auxilium (from Plautus on) among the derivatives of augeō (“to increase”), which goes back to Proto-Italic *augeje/o-…

It is probably borrowed from Punic 𐤅𐤇 (ḥawe, “live!”), a Punic imperative singular; the plural ⟨avo⟩ in Plautus answers to the Punic plural ⟨ḥawū⟩, from the Semitic root ⟨ḥ-w-y⟩ “live”. The OLD and…

It is from Latin ab- + vehō (“to carry, convey”). De Vaan traces vehō to Proto-Italic *weχ-e/o- and Proto-Indo-European *ueǵʰ-e/o- (“to carry”), comparing Umbrian ařveitu (“let him add”), Sanskrit…

It is a frequentative from Latin āvertō (“to turn away”) + -tō, formed on the participle ⟨āvers-⟩. The verb āvertō is ab- with vertō (“to turn”).

It is formed from Latin ab- (“away”) + vertō (“to turn”). De Vaan traces vertō to Proto-Italic *wert-e/o- and Proto-Indo-European *wert-e/o- (“to turn”).

It is from Latin avus (“grandfather”), with a feminine suffix. Leumann regarded it as a fairly old feminine of avus, but de Vaan notes that it may also be the feminine of a Proto-Italic *awjo-…

It is from Latin ab- (“away from”) + via (“way, road”) + -us, “away from the road”. Lewis & Short contrast it with dēvius, leading away from the right way, and invius, having no way at all, and a…

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *awo-, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éwh₂os (“grandfather, maternal uncle”). Cognate with Hittite ḫuḫḫa- (“grandfather”), Armenian հաւ (haw, “grandfather”)…

It is a verb from Latin Bacchus + -ō, from the name of the god of wine. The TLL compares Ancient Greek βακχεύω (bakkheúō, “to celebrate the rites of Bacchus”), and Priscian already derived it from…

The origin is unknown. De Vaan takes ⟨baetō⟩ to be the original form, which sometimes became ⟨bētō⟩, while ⟨-bītō⟩ was the regular outcome in non-initial syllables, in the compounds; where Plautus…

It is from Latin bāiulus (“porter, carrier”) + -ō, a verb made from the noun for a porter. The origin of the noun itself is unknown; Etymonline reports suggestions of a Germanic or a Celtic source…

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek βάλανος (bálanos, “acorn”). Köbler connects the Greek word with the Indo-European root *gʷel- (“acorn”).

It is from Ancient Greek βάλλω (bállō, “to throw”), through a Greek derivative; the TLL thinks that derivative is not recorded, while Köbler and Etymonline name it as βαλλιστής (ballistḗs) and…

It is from Latin balneum (“bath”) + -ātor. Its base balneum was taken from Ancient Greek βαλανεῖον (balaneîon, “bath”).

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek βαλανεῖον (balaneîon, “bath, bathing room”). Wiktionary notes that it was borrowed early enough for the second ⟨a⟩ to be weakened to ⟨i⟩, giving ⟨balineum⟩, and…

It is onomatopoeic, imitating the bleating of sheep. Renderings of that sound vary between /aː/ and /eː/ in the Indo-European languages, as in English baa. De Vaan thinks the verb took its suffix…

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek βάραθρον (bárathron, “gulf, pit”). Köbler connects the Greek word with Proto-Indo-European *gʷer- (“to swallow”).

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek βαρβαρικός (barbarikós), from βάρβαρος (bárbaros, “foreign”). Köbler refers it to barbarus.

It is from Latin barba (“beard”) + -ātus. De Vaan reconstructs Proto-Italic *farfā- (“beard”) for barba, with ⟨b-⟩ by assimilation; its cognates Old High German bart and Lithuanian barzdà have an…

It is from Latin beō (“to make happy, gladden”), its perfect passive participle, used as an adjective. De Vaan finds a link between that verb and bonus (“good”) (from ⟨*dwenos⟩) attractive in…

It is from Latin bellō (“to wage war”) + -tor. De Vaan lists it under bellum (“war”), older duellum, and finds Pinault's explanation the best: a diminutive *duenelo- of bonus (“good”), "quite…

It is from Latin bellus (“pretty, fine”) + -ē. De Vaan explains bellus as a diminutive of bonus (“good”), from *duenelos through *duellos, which is why it was first used of women and children; he…

It is from Latin bene (“well”) + volō (“to wish”), from the present participle of the verb. Lewis and Short call it the ante-classical counterpart of the classical benevolus.

It is from Latin bene (“well”) + volō (“to wish”), with the adjective ending -us: one who wishes well. De Vaan lists it beside malevolus (“ill-disposed”) and the participial adjectives benevolēns…

It is formed from Latin benignus (“kind, generous”) + -ē, the adverbial suffix. The adjective is a compound of a form of bene (“well”) and ⟨-gnus⟩ from gignō (“to beget”), like malignus.

It is formed from Latin benignus (“kind, generous”) + -tās. De Vaan lists ⟨benignus⟩ under both bonus (“good”) and gignō (“to beget”): it is formed from ⟨bene⟩ “well” and the root of ⟨gignō⟩…

It is a compound from Latin bene (“well”) + gignō (“to beget”), with ⟨beni-⟩ (from bonus (“good”)) and ⟨-gnus⟩, so “of good birth or nature”; compare malignus (“malicious”) and prīvignus…

It is formed from Latin bi- + lingua (“tongue”) with the adjective ending -is. De Vaan lists it among the derivatives of lingua, attested from Plautus on.

The suffix is inherited from Proto-Italic *-ðlis, which goes back to the same source as Proto-Italic *-ðlom, namely Proto-Indo-European *-dʰlom. Sihler traces stabilis (“firm”) to *-dhli- beside…

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *dwiznos, formed from *dwis (“twice”), the source of bis. De Vaan derives ⟨bīnī⟩ from ⟨*dwis-no-⟩, which presupposes an older ⟨*dwi-no-⟩; he compares Proto-Germanic…

It is from Latin blandior (“to flatter”) + -mentum. De Vaan lists it with blandior under blandus “flattering”, whose etymology he calls uncertain: Schrijver connects it with Greek and Irish words…

It is from Latin blandus (“flattering, charming”) + -iō. The origin of blandus is uncertain: de Vaan finds the link with mollis (“soft”) phonetically impossible, and reports a comparison with…

It is formed from Latin blandus (“flattering, charming”) + -itia. De Vaan calls the adjective of uncertain origin: the link with mollis (“soft”) is phonetically impossible, while a link with Ancient…

The origin is uncertain. The TLL considers that it may be taken from the name of the people called the Boii, following Solmsen. Wiktionary instead derives it from Ancient Greek βοείη (boeíē, “ox…

1. The interjection is borrowed from Ancient Greek βομβάξ (bombáx). Köbler calls it a word of colloquial speech. 2. The word for cotton is a medieval alteration from Latin bombyx (“silkworm; silk”)…

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek βοάω (boáō, “to shout”). Ancient grammarians already took it from the Greek: Festus, in Paul the Deacon's epitome, says so directly, and Varro and Nonius discuss…

It is formed from Latin bracchium + -ālis, “of the arm”.

The origin is unknown. The TLL compares a gloss of Hesychius. Wiktionary reports suggestions that it is a contraction of praesecō (“to cut off in front”). Varro already explained it as ⟨praesica⟩…

The origin is uncertain. The OLD calls it probably Celtic, and Wiktionary suggests that it is borrowed from Gaulish *brokkos, from Proto-Celtic *brokkos (“badger”). It survives in Italian brocco and…

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek βολβός (bolbós, “bulbous plant”). Isidore explained the form ⟨volvus⟩ as named from its rolling, round root.

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek κάδος (kádos, “jar”). Köbler compares a Hebrew word for a bucket.

The origin is uncertain. De Vaan thinks it was probably formed on an r-stem ⟨*caesar⟩, which might be the same as the name Caesar; the ⟨s⟩ inside the word was kept because of the ⟨r⟩ in the next…

The OLD and Wiktionary derive it from Latin caedō (“to strike, cut”); the TLL calls its origin uncertain, perhaps from that verb. De Vaan traces caedō to Proto-Italic *kaid-e/o- and…

It is from Latin calamistrum (“curling tongs”) + -ātus. Wiktionary and VOLI derive it from the masculine form calamister of the same noun. The noun is apparently from Ancient Greek καλάμιστρος…

It is from Latin calx (“heel”), as the TLL and the OLD connect it, and Priscian derives it from that noun. De Vaan calls the origin of calx unclear: a link with Lithuanian kulkšnìs (“ankle”) is…

Like other nouns in -īgō it may be formed from an adjective, perhaps from Proto-Italic *kāli- (“dark”), but the origin is uncertain. The OLD compares Sanskrit काल (kāla, “black, dark blue”) and…

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *(s)kalik-, the same word as Umbrian skalçeta (“from the sacrificial vessel”). It resembles Ancient Greek κύλιξ (kúlix, “drinking cup”); Schrijver connects them…

It is from Latin callum (“hardened skin”) + -eō, perhaps through an older adjective meaning “hard”. De Vaan traces callum to Proto-Italic *kaln/so- (“hard”) and compares Old Irish calath (“hard”)…

It is from Latin callidus (“experienced, clever”) + -ē. De Vaan derives callidus, like calleō (“to be hard; to know how”), from callum “hard skin”, which he traces to an adjective Proto-Italic…

It is formed from Latin calleō (“to be hardened; to be skilled”) + -idus. The verb comes from callum (“hard skin”), which de Vaan traces to Proto-Italic *kaln/so- (“hard”), comparing Old Irish…