Etymologically

400s

Latin words first recorded in the 5th century

56 Latin words whose earliest known written record dates from the 5th century, earliest first. Words dated only to part of the century follow the ones with a year.

  1. plano

    400–450

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

  2. spinalis

    400–450

    It is from Latin spīna (“thorn, spine”) + -ālis. The English word spinal comes from it.

  3. litania

    431–486

    It is borrowed from Ancient Greek λιτανεία (litaneía, “prayer, entreaty”), related to λιτανεύω (litaneúō, “to entreat, implore”). Etymonline traces the Greek noun to a word for prayer of unknown…

  4. directorium

    438

    It is from Latin dīrēctōrius (“directing”), its neuter used as a noun. The adjective comes from dīrigō (“to direct”), through its participle dīrēctus.

  5. raga

    438

    The origin is unknown, and the word itself may not be genuine. It rests on one law of the Codex Theodosianus (14.10.3), whose reading the TLL considers hardly correct. Georges, Gaffiot and VoLat…

  6. consistentia

    440–461

    It is from Latin cōnsistō (“to stand firm”) + -ia, formed on the present participle cōnsistēns.

  7. dosis

    447

    It is borrowed from Ancient Greek δόσις (dósis, “a giving; a portion prescribed”). Greek physicians, Galen among them, used it for an amount of medicine. Wiktionary traces the Greek noun to…

  8. oralis

    447

    It is from Latin ōs (“mouth”) + -ālis. De Vaan traces ōs to Proto-Italic *ōs- and Proto-Indo-European *h₃eh₁-os (“mouth”). The TLL notes that Old French orel, a word for a head covering, continues it.

  9. camox

    448–449

    It is a word of the Alps; Köbler's only source for it is Polemius Silvius. Wiktionary takes it as borrowed from Gaulish camox, probably from an extinct language of the Alps such as Raetic or…

  10. gaius

    448–449

    The origin is disputed. Niedermann took it for a joking use of the praenomen Gāius for the bird; the TLL (Leumann) joins the two views: the Romans gave the bird the name Gaius because its cry…

  11. feria

    455

    It is a singular made from fēriae “holidays”, the plural that Classical Latin used. The DMLBS labels the singular Late Latin and notes that the classical word is plural only, and Conte gives Late…

  12. causo

    480–499

    It is from Latin causa (“cause; lawsuit”) + -ō, an active verb beside the classical deponent causor, which is formed from the same noun. The TLL and the MLW treat its forms together with those of…

  13. reincipio

    480–499

    It is from Latin re- (“again”) + incipiō (“to begin”).

  14. attractivus

    485–580

    It is from Latin attrahō (“to draw towards”) + -īvus, made on the past participle ⟨attractus⟩.

  15. beneficialis

    485–580

    It is from Latin beneficium (“benefit, favour”) + -ālis.

  16. capitaneus

    485–580

    It is from Latin caput (“head”), with the adjective suffix -āneus. The TLL calls it a word of the latest Latin. Wiktionary notes that in the Middle Ages it merged with similar forms (catepanus…

  17. dispareo

    485–580

    It is from Latin dis- + pāreō (“to appear”), formed like compāreō. It survives in Italian sparire and disparire and in French disparaître.

  18. extraneo

    485–580

    It is from Latin extrāneus (“external, foreign; a stranger”).

  19. herbarium

    485–580

    It is from Latin herba (“grass, herbage”) + -ārium, the neuter form of herbārius (“botanical”), an adjective that Classical Latin has only as a masculine noun meaning “botanist”.

  20. intraneus

    485–580

    It is from Latin intrā (“within”), made with the suffix -āneus on the model of extrāneus “outside, foreign”.

  21. laborator

    485–580

    It is from Latin labōrō (“to toil, work”) + -tor (“agent suffix”). The verb comes from labor “toil”, whose further origin is unclear; de Vaan is not convinced by the usual connection with lābō “to…

  22. lampo

    485–580

    It is borrowed from Ancient Greek λάμπω (lámpō, “to shine”). The TLL lists its Romance continuants, among them Tuscan lampare, Sardinian lampare, Catalan llampar and Spanish lampar.

  23. mechanisma

    485–580

    It is from Ancient Greek μηχάνημα (mēkhánēma, “contrivance, machine”) in the view of Georges, and Lewis & Short and Gaffiot treat it as a late by-form of mēchanēma. Köbler refers it to Ancient Greek…

  24. molinum

    485–580

    It is from Latin molīnus (“of a mill”), its neuter used as a noun, or else a shortening of the phrase ⟨saxum molīnum⟩ “millstone”. The adjective is formed from mola (“millstone, mill”), or from molō…

  25. monarcha

    485–580

    It is borrowed from Ancient Greek μονάρχης (monárkhēs, “monarch, ruler”), the DMLBS also naming the Greek form μόναρχος (mónarkhos). The Greek word is made of μόνος (mónos, “alone”) and ἀρχός…

  26. nutritura

    485–580

    It is from Latin nūtriō (“to suckle, nourish”), with the suffix -ūra.

  27. patrioticus

    485–580

    It is borrowed from Ancient Greek πατριωτικός (patriōtikós), from πατριώτης (patriṓtēs, “fellow countryman”), itself from πατρία (patría). Within Latin it matches patriota with the suffix -icus, and…

  28. pretio

    485–580

    It is from Latin pretium (“price, value”), a verb formed on the noun. Compare the compound appretiō. The verb survives in Italian prezzare and Old Occitan prezar.

  29. productivus

    485–580

    It is from Latin prōdūcō (“to lead forth; to lengthen”) + -īvus, built on ⟨prōduct-⟩, the stem of the participle prōductus.

  30. qualitativus

    485–580

    It is from Latin quālitās (“quality”) + -īvus.

  31. Visigothus

    485–580

    It is Late Latin, perhaps meaning “West Goths”, which may have been Latinized from a Germanic source; Etymonline compares Old High German westan (“from the west”). According to other authorities…

  32. abstractus

    500–525

    It is from Latin abstrahō (“to drag away, withdraw”), its perfect participle used as an adjective. That verb is a compound of ab- (“away”) and trahō (“to draw”).

  33. analyticus

    500–525

    It is borrowed from Ancient Greek ἀναλυτικός (analutikós, “analytical”), from ἀναλύω (analúō, “to undo, dissolve”), from ἀνά (aná, “up, back”) and λύω (lúō, “to loosen”). English analytic was taken…

  34. aptitudo

    500–530

    It is from Latin aptus (“suited, fit”) + -tūdō, a noun of quality; Georges derives it from the verb aptō (“to fit, adapt”).

  35. cara

    500–599

    It is apparently borrowed from Ancient Greek κάρα (kárā, “head, face”). Etymonline also gives the Greek source as possible, not certain. Wiktionary traces the Greek word to Proto-Indo-European…

  36. comprehensivus

    500–599

    It is from Latin comprehendō (“to grasp; to comprehend”) + -īvus, formed on the participle stem ⟨comprehēns-⟩ of the verb. Conte calls it a Late Latin word.

  37. conservativus

    500–525

    It is from Latin cōnservō (“to keep, preserve”) + -īvus, formed on the past participle cōnservātus.

  38. cooperativus

    500–525

    It is from Latin cooperor (“to work together”) + -īvus.

  39. coordinatio

    500–525

    It is from Latin con- + ōrdinātiō (“arrangement”). The noun comes from ōrdinō (“to arrange”), which de Vaan takes as a denominative of ōrdō (“row, order”), made when the older ōrnō had lost its link…

  40. eligibilis

    500–530

    It is from Latin ēligō (“to choose”), formed with the suffix -bilis.

  41. finaliter

    500

    It is from Latin fīnālis (“final”) + -iter. The DMLBS marks it as Late Latin.

  42. habilito

    500

    It is from Latin habilis (“handy, apt, fit”). Its base comes from habeō (“to have, hold”).

  43. ironicus

    500

    It is borrowed from Ancient Greek εἰρωνικός (eirōnikós, “dissembling, ironical”), from εἴρων (eírōn, “dissembler”), whose further origin is unclear.

  44. multiplus

    500–525

    It is from Latin multus (“much, many”) + -plus (“-fold”), formed like multiplex (“manifold”), which Wiktionary compares.

  45. pagensis

    500–599

    It is from Latin pāgus (“country district, village”), formed with the suffix -ēnsis, like castrēnsis from castra. It lives on in Old Provençal and Catalan pagès (“peasant”), and, used for the…

  46. particularitas

    500–530

    It is from Latin particulāris (“concerning a part”) + -itās.

  47. positive

    500–599

    It is from Latin positīvus (“positive”) + -ē, an adverb formed from the adjective. The adjective comes from positus, the past participle of pōnō (“to put, place”).

  48. practicus

    500

    It is borrowed from Ancient Greek πρακτικός (praktikós, “active, effective”), from πράσσω (prássō, “to do”).

  49. praevidentia

    500–530

    It is from Latin praevidēns + -ia, from the present participle of praevideō (“to foresee”).

  50. quieto

    500–599

    It is from Latin quiētus (“quiet, at rest”) + -ō. A deponent ⟨quiētor⟩ is recorded beside it.

  51. responsivus

    500–599

    It is from Latin respondeō (“to answer”). The DMLBS labels it Late Latin.

  52. semus

    500–525

    It is from Latin sēmi- (“half”), according to Köbler and Pokorny, who calls it a late adjective. Georges and Gaffiot connect it with sēmis (“half”). The prefix goes back to Proto-Indo-European…

  53. sequentia

    500–525

    It is from Latin sequēns (“following”), the present participle of sequor (“to follow”). The verb goes back to Proto-Italic *sekʷ-e/o- and Proto-Indo-European *sekʷ-e/o- (“to follow, accompany”).

  54. somniculus

    500

    It is from Latin somnus (“sleep”) + -culus, a diminutive.

  55. tentativus

    500–525

    It is from Latin temptō (“to handle, try, test”), formed on its past participle ⟨temptāt-⟩ with the suffix -īvus.

  56. modernus

    It is from Latin modo (“just now”) + -rnus, formed after hodiernus “of today” from hodiē. Etymonline traces modo to the ablative of modus “measure”.

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