Etymologically

300s

Latin words first recorded in the 4th century

379 Latin words whose earliest known written record dates from the 4th century, earliest first (page 6). Words dated only to part of the century follow the ones with a year.

  1. aggregatio

    400

    It is formed from Latin aggregō + -tiō, a noun of action from the verb meaning “to add to a flock, gather together”. Conte calls it a Late Latin word.

  2. altero

    400–499

    It is from Latin alter (“other”) + -ō, “to make other”.

  3. anatomia

    400–499

    It is from Ancient Greek ἀνατομή (anatomḗ, “dissection”) with the Latin suffix -ia, or, as Lewis & Short have it, the late Greek form ⟨anatomia⟩ itself. The Greek noun is from ἀνατέμνω (anatémnō…

  4. anxiosus

    400–499

    It is from Latin anxius (“anxious”) + -ōsus.

  5. appropriatio

    400–499

    It is formed from Latin appropriō + -tiō.

  6. approprio

    400–499

    It is from Latin ad- + proprius (“one's own”), a verb meaning “to make one's own”.

  7. aucellus

    400

    It is from Latin aucella (“little bird”), made masculine; that is a contraction of avicella, a diminutive of avicula, itself a diminutive of avis (“bird”). Niermeyer and Köbler instead derive it…

  8. augmentatio

    400–499

    It is from Latin augmentō (“to increase”) + -tiō; the TLL and Köbler connect it directly with the noun augmentum (“increase”). Both go back to augeō (“to increase”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eug-…

  9. benefactor

    400

    It is formed from Latin benefaciō (“to do good, confer a benefit”) + -tor.

  10. byrsa

    400

    It is borrowed from Ancient Greek βύρσα (búrsa, “hide, skin”). Köbler compares βερρός (berrós, “thick, hairy”) and calls the further origin unclear, perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- (“to…

  11. cancellatio

    400–499

    It is from Latin cancellō + -tiō, from the verb for marking out in a lattice. Köbler refers it to cancellus (“lattice”).

  12. catalysis

    400

    It is borrowed from Ancient Greek κατάλυσις (katálusis, “dissolution, ending”). Köbler derives the Greek noun from καταλύειν (katalúein, “to destroy, bring to an end”).

  13. catarrhus

    400

    It is borrowed from Ancient Greek κατάρρους (katárrhous, “catarrh”), a noun of action from καταρρέω (katarrhéō, “to flow down”). Wiktionary gives the uncontracted Greek form κατάρροος (katárrhoos).

  14. cavitas

    400

    It is formed from Latin cavus (“hollow”) + -tās in Late Latin.

  15. cisorium

    400

    It is from Latin caedō (“to cut”), ultimately from its participial stem ⟨cīs-⟩ as seen in compounds such as incīdō.

  16. condensatio

    400–499

    It is formed from Latin condēnsō (“to make dense, thicken”) + -tiō. The verb belongs with condēnsus (“dense, tightly packed”) and dēnsus (“thick”), which goes back to Proto-Italic *d(e)nso- (with a…

  17. confluentia

    400–450

    It is formed from Latin cōnfluēns + -ia, from the present participle of cōnfluō (“to flow or run together”). The simple verb fluō goes back to Proto-Italic *flow-e/o- and Proto-Indo-European…

  18. consuetudinarius

    400

    It is from Latin cōnsuētūdō (“custom, habit”) + -ārius. The noun belongs with cōnsuēscō (“to become accustomed”), one of the compounds of suēscō, which de Vaan regards as older than the simple verb.

  19. contamen

    400–499

    The TLL takes it to be from Latin contāminō (“to pollute, spoil”), and Köbler connects it with contingō (“to touch”). De Vaan explains the verb itself as built on an unattested noun meaning…

  20. contradictorius

    400

    It is formed from Latin contrādictor + -ius, from contrādīcō (“to speak against”).

  21. culmino

    400–499

    It is from Latin culmen (“top, summit”). De Vaan treats culmen under columen, which goes back to Proto-Italic *kelamen- and Proto-Indo-European *kelH-men- (“top, summit”).

  22. decoratio

    400

    It is from Latin decorō (“to adorn, decorate”) + -tiō, itself from decus (“ornament, honour”).

  23. deserto

    400–499

    It is from Latin dēserō (“to abandon”), formed on its past participle dēsertus; Etymonline calls it a frequentative.

  24. destructivus

    400–499

    It is from Latin dēstruō (“to pull down, destroy”) + -īvus.

  25. dictatus

    400–499

    It is formed from Latin dictō (“to dictate”) + -tus. dictō is itself formed from dīcō (“to say”), which goes back to Proto-Italic *deik-e/o- (“to say”) and Proto-Indo-European *deiḱ-e/o- (“to show”).

  26. divergo

    400–450

    It is from Latin dis- + vergō (“to slope down, incline”). vergō goes back to Proto-Italic *werg-e/o- and Proto-Indo-European *h₂uerg- (“to turn”).

  27. domesticatus

    400–450

    It is from Latin domesticus, in the sense of an officer of the imperial household, and means the rank of these officers. The adjective, “of the household”, is itself derived from domus (“house”).

  28. endivia

    400–499

    The origin is unclear. The DMLBS refers it to Late Latin intibum (“endive, chicory”), and the MLW compares Ancient Greek ἐντύβιον (entúbion). Etymonline gives the Latin source as intibus.

  29. exagium

    400–499

    It is from Latin exigō (“to drive out; to weigh, test”) + -ium, built on the unweakened stem ⟨exag-⟩, as if from a simple compound of agō without the vowel change of exigō. The TLL and Lewis & Short…

  30. excitabilis

    400–499

    It is formed from Latin excitō + -bilis. The verb is formed from ex- and citō (“to set in motion”).

  31. expansio

    400

    It is from Latin expandō (“to spread out”) + -tiō, an action noun formed on the participle ⟨expānsus⟩.

  32. explanatorius

    400–499

    It is formed from Latin explānō (“to make plain, explain”) + -tōrius. The verb explānō is derived from plānus (“level, flat”), which de Vaan traces to Proto-Indo-European *pl(e)h₂-nó- (“flattened”).

  33. faculter

    400–499

    It is from Latin facilis (“easy”) + -ter. Lewis & Short treat it with facul, facile and faciliter as one of the four adverbs of the adjective.

  34. fidamen

    400–499

    It is from Latin fīdō (“to trust”) + -men.

  35. foederatio

    400

    It is from Latin foederō (“to make a treaty; to unite”) + -tiō, and foederō comes from foedus (“treaty, league”).

  36. fortificatio

    400–499

    It is formed from Latin fortificō (“to strengthen, fortify”) + -tiō, a verb made from fortis (“strong”) and faciō (“to make”).

  37. grammaticalis

    400

    It is from Latin grammatica + -ālis, the TLL deriving it from grammaticus or grammatica. Grammaticus is from Ancient Greek γραμματικός (grammatikós).

  38. habituo

    400–499

    It is from Latin habitus (“condition, bearing, dress”). Its base was originally the past participle of habeō (“to have, hold”).

  39. harpa

    400–499

    It is a Germanic word: Wiktionary takes it borrowed from Frankish *harpā (“harp”), and Köbler traces it to Proto-Germanic *harpō. Cognate with German Harfe and Old English hearpe. Lewis & Short and…

  40. idealis

    400–499

    It is from Latin idea (“idea, form”) + -ālis. The noun goes back to Ancient Greek ἰδέα (idéā, “form, idea”), and Etymonline takes the adjective from it in the Platonic sense.

  41. implementum

    400–499

    It is from Latin impleō (“to fill up”) + -mentum.

  42. incessans

    400–499

    It is formed from Latin in- (“not”) + cessāns (“ceasing”), the present participle of cessō (“to cease, hold back”).

  43. incorrigibilis

    400–499

    It is from Latin in- + corrigō (“to correct”), with the adjective suffix -bilis. The TLL compares the rarer incorrectibilis.

  44. innovator

    400–499

    It is formed from Latin innovō (“to renew”) + -tor.

  45. insigno

    400

    It is from Latin in- + signō (“to mark”), beside īnsigniō.

  46. magneticus

    400

    It is from Latin magnēs (“magnet”) + -icus. Köbler compares Ancient Greek Μαγνητικός (Magnētikós, “Magnesian”). The magnet, ⟨magnēs⟩, was the Magnesian stone, named after Μαγνησία (Magnēsía).

  47. mensuro

    400

    It is from Latin mēnsūra (“measure”), which is formed from mētior (“to measure”) with the suffix -tūra. The chain goes back to Proto-Indo-European *meh₁-.

  48. pastura

    400

    It is formed from Latin pāscō (“to feed, graze”) + -tūra, a Late Latin word; Wiktionary derives it from the deponent pāscor (“to graze”). The TLL relates it to the noun pāstus (“pasture, food”).

  49. peripheria

    400–499

    It is borrowed from Ancient Greek περιφέρεια (periphéreia, “circumference”), which comes from περιφερής (peripherḗs, “moving round, revolving”), from περιφέρω (periphérō, “to carry round”). Köbler…

  50. pharmaceuticus

    400–499

    It is borrowed from Ancient Greek φαρμακευτικός (pharmakeutikós, “concerning drugs”), from φάρμακον (phármakon, “remedy, drug, charm”).

  51. planaris

    400–499

    It is from Latin plānus (“flat, level”), formed with the suffix -āris.

  52. plano

    400–450

    It is from Latin plānus (“flat, level”).

  53. pleonasmus

    400–499

    It is borrowed from Ancient Greek πλεονασμός (pleonasmós), first found in Late Latin, from πλεονάζω (pleonázō, “to be more than enough, to add superfluously”), from πλέον (pléon, “more”).

  54. polygonum

    400–499

    It is borrowed from Ancient Greek πολύγωνον (polúgōnon, “polygon”), the noun use of the neuter of the adjective πολύγωνος (polúgōnos, “many-angled”), from πολύς (polús, “many”) and γωνία (gōnía…

  55. praeambulus

    400–499

    It is from Latin praeambulō (“to walk before”), formed like funambulus with the second part made to look like a word in -ulus.

  56. praecautio

    400–499

    It is from Latin praecaveō (“to guard against beforehand”) + -tiō.

  57. praedictivus

    400–499

    It is from Latin praedīcō (“to foretell”) + -īvus, built on the participle ⟨praedictus⟩.

  58. praeservo

    400–499

    It is from Latin prae (“before”) + servō (“to watch, keep”).

  59. prisma

    400–499

    It is borrowed from Ancient Greek πρίσμα (prísma, “prism; something sawn”). The Greek noun comes from πρίζειν (prízein, “to saw”). Etymonline notes that Euclid used it for the geometrical figure…

  60. problematicus

    400–499

    It is borrowed from Ancient Greek προβληματικός (problēmatikós), from πρόβλημα (próblēma, “problem”).

All Latin words by century →