bos Latin · revision 5299

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=Naevius|origins=ine-pro *gʷṓws}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA (Classical): [ˈboːs]^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈbɔs]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''bōs''' ''m'' or f (genitive bovis); irregular, third declension^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[der|itc-pro|*gʷōs]], from [[ine-pro|*gʷṓws|t=cow]].^(de Vaan 2008)^(Wiktionary) The regular Latin outcome would be *vōs or *ūs, so the initial ⟨b⟩ is generally thought to come from a Sabellic dialect, in which *gʷ became /b/, as in [[xum|bum|t=ox]].^(de Vaan 2008)^(Wiktionary)^(Etymonline) Cognate with [[grc|βοῦς|tr=boûs|t=ox]], [[sa|गो|tr=gó|t=cow]] and [[ang|cū]] ([[en|cow]]).^(Wiktionary)^(OLD 2012)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ De Vaan and Köbler date it from Naevius.^(de Vaan 2008)^(Köbler 2010) Köbler dates Naevius c. 235–200 BC.^(Köbler 2010)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ It was a bovine animal, an ox, bull or cow, and in the plural cattle.^(OLD 2012)^(de Vaan 2008) Caesar uses it of the reindeer, which he describes wrongly, and ''bōs Lūca'' “Lucanian ox” was the old name for the elephant.^(OLD 2012) It also named a fish, perhaps the ox-ray.^(OLD 2012) The inflection was irregular, with forms such as ''bovum'', ''bovērum'', ''bōbus'' and ''būbus''.^(de Vaan 2008)^(OLD 2012) The proverb ''bovī clītellās impōnere'' “to put a pack-saddle on an ox” meant to give someone a task unsuited to him.^(Gaffiot 2016)

+

+ In medieval British Latin it was especially the plough ox.^(DMLBS) Through Old French ''buef'' it gave [[en|beef]] about 1300, and Late Latin [[bovīnus]] gave [[en|bovine]].^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 235–200 BC – Naevius uses it.^(de Vaan 2008)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * c. 250–184 BC – Plautus asks whether there are no oxen to look after in the country.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * c. 50 BC – Caesar describes the reindeer as an ox.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * c. 1300 – English ''beef'' is recorded.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # An [[m|en|ox]], bull or cow, (plural) [[m|en|cattle]].^(OLD 2012)^(de Vaan 2008)

+ # An animal thought to resemble an ox, ''bōs Lūca'', an elephant.^(OLD 2012)

+ # A fish, perhaps the ox-ray.^(OLD 2012)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[boārius]]

+ * [[bovātim]]

+ * [[bovicīdium]]

+ * [[bovīle]]

+ * [[bovīlis]]

+ * [[bovīllus]]

+ * [[bovīnor]]

+ * [[bovīnus]]

+ * [[būbulus]]

+ * [[būcaeda]]

+ * [[būcina]]

+ * [[būculus]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[en|beef]]

+ * [[en|bovine]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}