vicus Latin · revision 5453

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=Plautus|origins=ine-pro *weyḱ-}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA (Classical): [ˈwiː.kʊs]^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈviː.kus]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''vīcus''' ''m'' (genitive vīcī); second declension^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|itc-pro|*weikos|t=settlement]], from [[ine-pro|*weyḱ-|t=settlement]].^(de Vaan 2008)^(Wiktionary) Old Latin inscriptions have [[m|la|veicus]] and [[m|la|vecus]].^(de Vaan 2008)^(OLD 2012) Cognate with [[grc|οἶκος|tr=oîkos|t=house]], [[sa|वेश|tr=veśá|t=house]] and [[got|𐍅𐌴𐌹𐌷𐍃|tr=weihs|t=village]].^(de Vaan 2008)^(OLD 2012) [[vīlla]] is from the same root.^(de Vaan 2008)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ De Vaan dates it from Plautus.^(de Vaan 2008) An early law speaks of land “in a city, town or village”.^(OLD 2012) Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^(Köbler 2010)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ It was a group of dwellings, a village, and in a town a block of houses, a street or a quarter, often forming a social or administrative unit.^(OLD 2012) Streets of Rome bore the name, like the ''Vīcus Iugārius''.^(Gaffiot 2016) Isidore says the ''vīcus'' is so called from its dwellings alone, as it has streets but no walls.^(Isidore)

+

+ In the Middle Ages it was a village or settlement of some importance that was not a bishop's city, and in Britain a township or borough.^(Niermeyer 1976)^(DMLBS) Lewis & Short connect English place names in -''wick'' and -''wich'' with it, through Old English ''wīc''.^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(DMLBS) Its derivative [[vīcīnus]] “neighbour” gave [[en|vicinity]].^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.^(de Vaan 2008)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 81–43 BC – Cicero writes of villages burned in Bithynia.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * c. 560–636 AD – Isidore explains it as a place with streets but no walls.^(Isidore)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 1550s – English ''vicinity'' is recorded.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[m|en|village]], a group of dwellings.^(OLD 2012)

+ # A block of houses, a [[m|en|street]], a quarter (in a town).^(OLD 2012)

+ # ''(Medieval Latin)'' A settlement, township, borough.^(Niermeyer 1976)^(DMLBS)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[vīcīna]]

+ * [[vīcīnālis]]

+ * [[vīcīnē]]

+ * [[vīcīnia]]

+ * [[vīcīnitās]]

+ * [[vīcīnor]]

+ * [[vīcīnus]]

+ * [[vīculus]]

+ * [[vīlla]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[en|vicinity]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}