Vulgar Latin vocabulary
Encyclopedia
Historical overview
Old Latin
Old Latin refers to the Latin language in the period before the age of Classical Latin; that is, all Latin before 75 BC...
, while others were borrowed late into Latin from other languages: Germanic
Germanic languages
The Germanic languages constitute a sub-branch of the Indo-European language family. The common ancestor of all of the languages in this branch is called Proto-Germanic , which was spoken in approximately the mid-1st millennium BC in Iron Age northern Europe...
, Gaulish
Gaulish language
The Gaulish language is an extinct Celtic language that was spoken by the Gauls, a people who inhabited the region known as Gaul from the Iron Age through the Roman period...
, the Paleo-Balkan languages
Paleo-Balkan languages
Paleo-Balkan is a geolinguistic term referring to the Indo-European languages that were spoken in the Balkans in ancient times. Except for Greek and the language that gave rise to Albanian , they are all extinct, due to Hellenization, Romanization, and Slavicisation.- Classification :The following...
preceding Eastern Romance
Eastern Romance languages
The Eastern Romance languages in their narrow conception, sometimes known as the Vlach languages, are a group of Romance languages that developed in Southeastern Europe from the local eastern variant of Vulgar Latin. Some classifications include the Italo-Dalmatian languages; when Italian is...
etc. Certain words customarily used in Classical Latin were not used in Vulgar Latin, such as equus, "horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
". Instead, Vulgar Latin typically featured caballus "nag" (but note Romanian iapă, Sardinian èbba, Spanish yegua, Catalan euga and Portuguese égua all meaning "mare" and deriving from Classical equa).
The differences applied even to the basic grammatical particle
Grammatical particle
In grammar, a particle is a function word that does not belong to any of the inflected grammatical word classes . It is a catch-all term for a heterogeneous set of words and terms that lack a precise lexical definition...
s; many classical have no reflex in Romance, such as an, at, autem, dōnec, enim, ergō, etiam, haud, igitur, ita, nam, postquam, quidem, quīn, quod, quoque, sed, utrum and vel. Verbs with prefixed prepositions frequently displaced simple forms. The number of words formed by such suffix
Suffix
In linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns or adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs...
es as -bilis, -ārius, -itāre and -icāre grew apace.
Some Romance languages preserve Latin words that were lost in most others. For example, Italian ogni ("each/every") preserves Latin omnes. Other languages use exclusively cognates of tōtus (originally "entire") for the same meaning; tudo/todo in Portuguese, todo in Spanish, tot in Catalan, tout in French and tot in Romanian. The plural tutti in Italian means "all", and the singular tutto still means "entire."
Sometimes a Classical Latin word appears in a Romance language alongside the equivalent Vulgar Latin word: classical caput, "head", and vulgar testa (originally "pot") in Italian, French and Catalan. In Romanian cap means 'head' in the anatomical sense, but ţeastă means skull or carapace
Carapace
A carapace is a dorsal section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tortoises, the underside is called the plastron.-Crustaceans:In crustaceans, the...
, while ţest means "pot" or "lid
Lid (container)
A lid, also known as a cap, is part of a container, and serves as the cover or seal, usually one that completely closes the object.-History:...
". Southern Italian dialects preserve capo as the normal word for "head". Spanish and Portuguese have cabeza/cabeça, derived from *capetia, a modified form of caput, but in Portuguese testa is the word for "forehead".
Frequently, words borrowed directly from literary Latin at some later date, rather than evolved within Vulgar Latin, are found side by side with the evolved form. The (lack of) expected phonetic developments is a clue that one word has been borrowed. For example, Vulgar Latin fungus, "fungus, mushroom", which became Italian fungo, Catalan fong, and Portuguese fungo, became hongo in Spanish, showing the f > h shift that was common in early Spanish (cf. fīlius > Spanish hijo, "son", facere > Spanish hacer, "to do"). But Spanish also had fungo, which by its lack of the expected sound shift shows that it was borrowed directly from Latin.
Vulgar Latin contained a large number of words of foreign origin not present in literary texts. Many works on medicine were written and distributed in Greek, and words were often borrowed from these sources. For example, gamba ( 'knee joint' ), originally a veterinary term only, replaced the classical Latin word for leg (crus) in most Romance languages. (cf. Fr. jambe, It. gamba). Cooking terms were also often borrowed from Greek sources, a calque
Calque
In linguistics, a calque or loan translation is a word or phrase borrowed from another language by literal, word-for-word or root-for-root translation.-Calque:...
based on a Greek term was ficatum (iecur) (goose's liver fattened with figs, see foie gras
Foie gras
Foie gras ; French for "fat liver") is a food product made of the liver of a duck or goose that has been specially fattened. This fattening is typically achieved through gavage corn, according to French law, though outside of France it is occasionally produced using natural feeding...
for more information), with the participle ficatum becoming the common word for liver in Vulgar Latin (cf. Sp. higado, Fr. foie, It. fegato, Pt fígado, Romanian ficat). Important religious terms were also drawn from religious texts written in Greek, such as episcopus (bishop), presbyter (priest), martyr etc. Words borrowed from Gaulish include caballus (horse) and carrus (chariot).
Selected list of Classical Latin and Vulgar Latin words
| English meaning | Latin form | Ancient instances | Modern Romance inherited forms |
|---|---|---|---|
| "all" | omnis (the whole number, the entire) | Both | Italian ogni |
| tōtus (the whole, not the part) | Both | French tout, Italian tutto, Spanish todo, Portuguese/Galician todo/tudo, Romanian tot | |
| "altar" | āra | Classical | — |
| altāria (diminutive) | Vulgar, St. Jerome | French autel, Italian altare, Portuguese/Galician/Spanish/Romanian altar | |
| "ask" | rogāre (beg, demand) | Both | Spanish/Portuguese/Catalan rogar, Romanian ruga, Italian rogatoria |
| interrogāre (interrogate) | Both | Old French enterver, Romanian întreba (French interroger, Italian interrogare, Spanish/Portuguese interrogar are learned forms) | |
| quaerere (seek) | Both | Italian chiedere, Romanian cere, change of meaning in French quérir "fetch" and in Spanish/Portuguese/Galician querer "want" | |
| dēmandāre (put in the charge of) | Both | French demander, Italian domandare, Spanish/Portuguese demandar, Catalan demanar, Macedo-Romanian Aromanian language Aromanian , also known as Macedo-Romanian, Arumanian or Vlach is an Eastern Romance language spoken in Southeastern Europe... dimânda |
|
| inquirere> inquaerere |
Classical> Vulgar |
Old French/Provençal enquerre, French enquérir (enquête), Italian inquírere, Portuguese/Spanish inquirir, [English inquire/enquire, Middle English enquiren] | |
| "back" (anatomy) |
tergum | Italian terga, Portuguese tergo | |
| dorsum | - | French/Catalan/Romanian dos, Italian/Portuguese/Spanish dorso, in Classical Latin normally "the horizontal back of an animal" | |
| costa | - | Portuguese costas and in the Spanish phrase " a cuestas" ("on one's back"); otherwise in the Romance languages the word did not develop the meaning of "back", but rather stayed closer to the Classical meanings; see Spanish cuesta (slope), Italian costa (coast, slope, rib), Portuguese costa (coast) and costela (rib), Romanian coastă (side, rib), French côte, etc. | |
| spatula | - | Portuguese espádua, Portuguese/Spanish espalda, Romanian spate | |
| "beak" | rōstrum | Italian rostro, Spanish rostro, Portuguese rosto, "face", Romanian rost "mouth" (archaic) | |
| *beccus (Gaulish) | Reichenau glosses | French bec, Italian becco, Catalan bec, Spanish pico, Portuguese bico | |
| "beautiful" | pulcher | Portuguese/Spanish pulcro, Italian pulcro | |
| fōrmōsus | Spanish hermoso, Italian/Portuguese formoso, Romanian frumos (with good forms, good configuration, shape, contour, outline) | ||
| bellus (diminutive of bonus) | French beau, Italian/Spanish bello, Portuguese belo | ||
| bonus | Spanish/Portuguese/Galician bonito (diminutive of bonus, "good" same way as in Latin bellus from bonus) German Bonite, English bonito (fish of the genus Sarda), Italian buono | ||
| "begin" | conārī | - | |
| incipere | Romanian începe | ||
| *cominitiāre | Portuguese começar, French commencer, Italian cominciare, Spanish comenzar, from initiāre "initiate" | ||
| "big" | magnus | Sicilian magnu, Portuguese/Galician/Spanish magno (learned form), tamanho/tamaño | |
| grandis | French grand, Italian/Spanish/Portuguese/Galician grande, Catalan gran | ||
| "bird" | avis | Spanish/Portuguese/Galician ave | |
| *avicellus/avicella/avicula (diminutive) | French oiseau, Italian uccello, Portuguese auzelo/avicelo/avícula/avezinha, Catalan aucel | ||
| passer | Spanish pájaro, Portuguese pássaro, Romanian pasăre, originally "sparrow" (so Italian passero) | ||
| "blond/blonde" | *blundus/blunda (Germanic *blundaz) | O.Fr. blont, from M.L. adj. blundus, from Frank. *blund. | French blond/e, Italian biondo/bionda, Portuguese blondícomo/a, flavícomo/a (Romanian blond/blondă is a modern loan) |
| laurus/laura (laurel color, bay leaf hair person) | Portuguese louro/loiro, loura/loira, laurícomo/laurícoma | ||
| "blow" | flāre | - | |
| sufflāre | French souffler, Italian soffiare, Romanian sufla, Portuguese soprar/suflar, Spanish soplar, from flāre with prefix sub | ||
| "boy" | puer | Portuguese puer (used as a learned form in several languages, and in derivates such as pueril) | |
| ninnus (hypocoristic Hypocoristic A hypocorism is a shorter form of a word or given name, for example, when used in more intimate situations as a nickname or term of endearment.- Derivation :Hypocorisms are often generated as:... ) |
Spanish niño, Portuguese nini, nenê, nenén, ninar (to rock and to lull to sleep), Catalan nen, Galician neno, Italian nino, ninnolo, ninna ninnàre (to rock and to lull to sleep) | ||
| minimus, min'mus | Italian mimmo, Portuguese menino, mimo, mimoso, Spanish mimo, menino-a (chaperone, squire, esquire, page, a court maid of honour as in Velázquez's painting, from Pt.: small child) | ||
| gars (French |
Old French garçun, French garçon, Portuguese garoto (boy), garçom (waiter), Italian garzone | ||
| ragazium(Greek = rake) | Italian ragazzo | ||
| bambo/bimbo (hypocoristic Hypocoristic A hypocorism is a shorter form of a word or given name, for example, when used in more intimate situations as a nickname or term of endearment.- Derivation :Hypocorisms are often generated as:... ) (Greek=bambainos/bambalos) |
Italian bambino | ||
| rapace | Portuguese/Spanish/Galician rapaz (lad) | ||
| musteus | Portuguese moço (lad, young man), Asturian mozu, Catalan mosso, Spanish/Galician mozo, Italian mozzo | ||
| mancipius | Portuguese/Spanish mancebo (lad, young man), | ||
| ciccum | Spanish chico/chicoco | ||
| mutilus | Spanish muchacho (boy/lad) | ||
| juvene | French jeune homme, Italian giovane, Portuguese jovem, Spanish joven, Catalan jóve, Romanian/Megleno-Romanian , Istro-Romanian jure, Macedo-Romanian gione, (all meaning a youth) | ||
| paidion (Greek diminutive of pais, paid, child) | French page, Italian paggio, paggetto, Portuguese pagem, Spanish paje | ||
| *babe, *baban (Germanic, from English, influenced by French proper noun Bébé) | French bébé, Italian bebè, Portuguese bebé, bebê, Spanish bebé, Catalan bebè, Romanian bebeluş | ||
| "breathe" | spīrāre | Portuguese/Spanish espirar (to breathe; to blow; to exhale; "to be alive"), Italian spirare, espirare, inspirare | |
| respīrāre | French respirer, Italian respirare, Romanian respira, Spanish/Portuguese/Catalan respirar, frequentative form of spirāre | ||
| "brown" | furvus | - | |
| *brūnus (Germanic) | Reichenau glosses | French brun, Italian/Spanish/Portuguese bruno (Romanian brun is a modern loan) | |
| cyma (American Spanish cimarrón, French marron) | French marron, Italian marrone, Portuguese marrom, Spanish marrón (Romanian maro is a modern loan) | ||
| castaneus (Lat. castanea=chestnut, Greek kastanea) | French châtain, Italian castano, Portuguese castanho, Romanian castaniu, Spanish castaño | ||
| bronzium | French bronzé, Italian abbronzato, Portuguese bronzeado, Spanish bronceado (bronzed, suntanned) (Romanian bronzat is a modern loan) | ||
| maurus (Late Latin Late Latin Late Latin is the scholarly name for the written Latin of Late Antiquity. The English dictionary definition of Late Latin dates this period from the 3rd to the 6th centuries AD extending in Spain to the 7th. This somewhat ambiguously defined period fits between Classical Latin and Medieval Latin... maurinus) |
Spanish/Portuguese/Ladino moreno, also Portuguese mauro, maurino and Spanish morocho | ||
| pardus | Portuguese/Spanish pardo | ||
| "buy" | emere | - | |
| comparāre | Italian comp(e)rare, Spanish/Portuguese/Galician comprar, Romanian cumpăra | ||
| *accaptāre | French acheter, Italian accattare ("beg", older "buy"), Portuguese acatar/acaptar ("to obey", "respect", "heed"/ "to cull", "pick out", "search"/ "to acquire", "obtain"), Spanish aceptar | ||
| "cat" | fēlēs | italian/Portuguese/Spanish felino (learned word) | |
| *cattus | French chat, Italian gatto, Spanish/Portuguese/Galician gato | ||
| "cauldron" | lebēs | - | |
| *calidāria | Reichenau glosses | French chaudière, Italian calderone, Romanian căldare, Spanish caldera, Portuguese caldeirão/caldeira from calidus, "warm" | |
| "change" | mūtāre | Italian mutare, Spanish/Portuguese mudar, mutar, Romanian muta | |
| *cambiāre (Gaulish) | Fr changer, It cambiare, Sp cambiar, Ro schimba, Pt cambiar ("barter", "exchange money") not in classical Latin, probably originally "to exchange" | ||
| "cheese" | caseus | Italian cacio, Spanish queso, Portuguese queijo, Romanian/Macedo-Romanian/Megleno-Romanian caş, Istro-Romanian cǫş, also borrowed into Germanic: English cheese, German Käse | |
| fōrmāticum | Reichenau glosses | French fromage, hence Italian formaggio, Catalan formatge, post-classical, from fōrmāre, "to form" | |
| "child" | līberī | - | |
| īnfāns | French enfant, Italian fante "infantryman", Spanish/Portuguese infante, "child", "infant prince" or "infantryman" | ||
| "city" | urbs | Romanian/Spanish/Portuguese urbe (however these may all be re-introductions), Italian urbe | |
| oppidum | - | ||
| cīvitās | French cité, Italian città, Spanish ciudad, Portuguese cidade, Romanian cetate | ||
| "count" | numerāre | French nombrer, Italian noverare, (e)numerare, Portuguese/Spanish (e)numerar, Romanian număra | |
| computāre | French compter, Italian contare, computare, Spanish/Portuguese contar, computar | ||
| "country" | regiō | Old French royon, Italian rione "neighbourhood" (French région, Italian regione, Portuguese região, Spanish región Romanian regiune are learned forms) | |
| pāgus | - | ||
| pāgēnsis | Gregory of Tours Gregory of Tours Saint Gregory of Tours was a Gallo-Roman historian and Bishop of Tours, which made him a leading prelate of Gaul. He was born Georgius Florentius, later adding the name Gregorius in honour of his maternal great-grandfather... |
Italian paese, French pays, hence Spanish/Portuguese/Galician país, Catalan pahis | |
| "day" | diēs | Italian dì (archaic), Spanish/Galician día, Portuguese dia, Romanian zi | |
| diurnum | French jour, Italian giorno, Catalan jorn, Portuguese/Spanish/Galician diurno | ||
| "destroy" | dēlēre | Portuguese/Galician delir | |
| dēstruere | French détruire, Italian distruggere, Spanish/Portuguese destruir, Romanian distruge | ||
| "door" | forīs (adverb forās) | Portuguese/Galician fora ("outside"), Spanish fuera ("outside"), Romanian afară ("outside"), Italian fuori "outside" | |
| iānua | Logudorese Sardo logudorese Logudorese Sardinian is a standardised variety of Sardinian, often considered the most conservative of all Romance languages. Its ISO 639-3 code is src.... yanna, Northern Calabrian yanuwẹ (Portuguese janella "window/opening", Galician xanela) |
||
| porta | French porte, Italian/Portuguese/Galician/Catalan porta, Spanish puerta, Romanian poartă, originally "gate" | ||
| "ear" | auris | - | |
| auricula (diminutive) | French oreille, Italian orecchio, Spanish oreja, Portuguese orelha, Catalan/Galician orella, Romanian ureche | ||
| "eat" | edere | - | |
| comedere | Spanish/Portuguese/Galician comer | ||
| mandūcāre | French manger, Italian manducare, Romanian mânca (Italian mangiare and Portuguese manjar are from the French) | ||
| "enemy" | hostis | Spanish hueste, Portuguese/Galician hoste, Romanian/Macedo-Romanian oaste, Istro-Romanian oste , Megleno-Romanian ǫsti, "army", Italian oste, ostile | |
| inimīcus | French ennemi, Italian nemico, Spanish enemigo, Portuguese/Galician inimigo, Romanian inamic; in Classical Latin, inimīcus is "a personal enemy" | ||
| "evening" | vesper | French vêpre, Italian vespro, Spanish vísperas, Portuguese vésper, vésperas, normally in an ecclesiastical meaning | |
| sēra | French soir, Italian sera, Romanian/Macedo-Romanian seară, Megleno-Romanian sĕră, Istro-Romanian sĕre, Portuguese serão, sereno, Spanish sereno | ||
| tardis | Sp/Pt/Gl tarde "afternoon", Italian tardi "late" | ||
| "fat" | pinguis | Italian pingue | |
| crassus > *grassus | Reichenau glosses | French/Romanian gras, Italian grasso, Spanish graso, Portuguese crasso/graxo, with g- from grossus | |
| grossus (Germanic, from Old High German grōz, from Germanic *grautaz) | French/Romanian gros, Italian/Portuguese/Galician grosso, Spanish grueso | ||
| "feather" | penna | Italian penna, Portuguese/Galician pena, Romanian pană, Macedo-Romanian/Megleno-Romanian peană, Istro-Romanian pęnę | |
| plūma | French plume, Italian piuma, Spanish/Portuguese pluma, Catalan ploma | ||
| "field" | ager | Portuguese/Galician/Spanish agro, Romanian agru | |
| campus | Reichenau glosses | French champ, Italian/Spanish/Portuguese/Galician campo, Romanian/Macedo-Romanian câmp, Megleno-Romanian cǫmp | |
| "fight" | pugna | Portuguese/Galician/Spanish pugna | |
| *lūcta | French lutte, Italian lotta, Portuguese luta, Spanish lucha, Romanian luptă, Macedo-Romanian luftă, originally "wrestling match", post-classical, classical equivalents were lūctāmen and lūctātiō, all from lūctārī, "to fight" | ||
| "find" | invenīre | Italian "rinvenire" | |
| *incontrāre | Spanish/Catalan/Portuguese/Galician encontrar, originally "meet" (French encontrer, Italian incontrare) | ||
| turbāre | French trouver, hence Italian trovare, originally "disturb" (Italian/Romanian turbare) > "track down" (Spanish turbar, Portuguese torvar/turbar/trovar "impede") | ||
| "fight" | pugnāre | Portuguese/Spanish pugnar, Italian "pugnare" | |
| luctārī | Italian lottare, Spanish luchar, Portuguese lutar, Romanian lupta | ||
| "fingernail" | unguis | - | |
| ungula (diminutive) | Reichenau glosses | French ongle, Italian unghia, Spanish uña, Portuguese unha, Catalan ungla , Romanian unghie | |
| "fire" | ignis | - | |
| focus | French feu, Italian fuoco, Spanish fuego, Portuguese/Galician fogo, Romanian/Macedo-Romanian/Megleno-Romanian/Istro-Romanian/Catalan foc | ||
| "food" | cibus | Italian dial. cevo and similar forms (Italian cibo is a learned form), Portuguese/Galician ceva/cevo and cibo, Spanish cebo | |
| alimenta | French alimentation, Italian/Spanish/Portuguese/Galician alimento, Catalan aliment | ||
| "force" | vīs | - | |
| *fortia | Reichenau glosses | French force, Italian/Galician forza, Spanish fuerza, Portuguese força, from fortis, "strong", Romanian forţă | |
| "from" | ab | - | |
| dē | French/Spanish/Portuguese/Galician/Romanian de, Italian da and di ("of") | ||
| "garden" | hortus | Italian orto, Spanish huerto, Portuguese horto/a, Romanian curte ( | |
| *gardīnus (Germanic *gardaz) | French jardin, hence Italian giardino, Spanish jardín, Portuguese jardim, Romanian grădină | ||
| "girl" | puella | Portuguese puela (learned form) | |
| fīlia | French fille, also and originally "daughter" (the regular meaning in other Romance languages: It. figlia, Pt. filha, Ro. fiică, Sp. hija) | ||
| *ninna (hypocoristic Hypocoristic A hypocorism is a shorter form of a word or given name, for example, when used in more intimate situations as a nickname or term of endearment.- Derivation :Hypocorisms are often generated as:... ) |
Spanish niña, Catalan noy(a), Portuguese menina, nini, nenén | ||
| gars (French < Germanic, Frank. *wrakjo) | French garce, garcette, Portuguese garota, garçonete | ||
| "head" | caput | French chef, Spanish/Portuguese/Galician cabo, Catalan/Romanian cap; in and Italian capo; outside of Romanian, the word has taken a metaphorical meaning, "leader" and the like (also cf. Romania căpetenie, "chieftain") [Capitain/Chief (fr) Lat.: CAPITANEUS/Caput= Fr.: capitaine, chef (caput) It.: capitano, capo Pt.: capitão, capitâneo, chefe (fr) Ro.: căpitan, căpetenie Sp.: capitán, jefe (fr)] | |
| *capetia | Spanish/Galician cabeza, Portuguese cabeça, Romanian căpăţână | ||
| testa | French tête, Italian testa, Spanish/Portuguese/Galician testa "forehead", Romanian ţeastă "skull", originally "pot" | ||
| "helmet" | galea | - | |
| cofea (Germanic) | Romanian coif (cf. English coif Coif A coif is a close fitting cap that covers the top, back, and sides of the head.- History :Coifs were worn by all classes in England and Scotland from the Middle Ages to the early seventeenth century .Tudor and earlier coifs are usually made of unadorned white linen and tied under... | ||
| *helmus (Germanic *helmaz) | Reichenau glosses | French heaume, Italian/Portuguese elmo, Catalan elm, Spanish yelmo | |
| "help" | iuvāre | - Italian giovare | |
| adiūtāre | French aider, Italian aiutare, Spanish ayudar, Portuguese/Catalan ajudar, Romanian ajuta, frequentative of iuvāre with prefix ad | ||
| "horse" | equus/equa (Fem.) | Portuguese égua, Galician egua, Catalan euga, Spanish yegua, Romanian iapă; all meaning "mare" | |
| caballus (Celtic) | French cheval, Italian/Portuguese cavallo, Spanish/Galician caballo, Romanian/Macedo-Romanian/Megleno-Romanian cal, Istro-Romanian co | ||
| "house" | domus | Italian duomo "cathedral" | |
| casa | French chez, "at the house of > at", Italian/Spanish/Portuguese/Galician/Catalan casa, Romanian/Macedo-Romanian/Megleno-Romanian casă, Istro-Romanian cǫse; in Classical Latin, casa is "a humble dwelling" | ||
| mānsiō | French maison, Portuguese mansão, Italian mansione ("work") in Classical Latin "a halt on a journey", Spanish mansión | ||
| "huge" | ingēns | Portuguese/Galician/Spanish ingente ("enormous"), Italian ingente ("numerous") | |
| ēnormis | French énorme, Italian/Spanish/Portuguese/Galician enorme, Romanian enorm | ||
| "hunt" | vēnārī | French vener, Catalan venar, Romanian vâna, Portuguese venatar(learned form, influenced by venatus), veadar (to hunt deers) | |
| *captiāre | French chasser, Italian cacciare, Spanish cazar, Portuguese caçar; post-classical, frequentative of capere, "to catch" | ||
| "kill" | enecāre | French noyer, Italian annegare, Spanish/Catalan/Portuguese anegar, Romanian îneca "drown" | |
| interficere | - | ||
| mactare | French mater, Portuguese/Spanish/Galician matar, originally "to sacrifice", "immolate", Italian "ammazzare" | ||
| occīdere | Reichenau glosses | French occire, Italian uccidere, Romanian ucide | |
| trux cidare | Italian trucidare, French trucider, Portuguese/Spanish trucidar (both meaning slay) | ||
| tūtārī | French tuer, originally "protect oneself, tutor" | ||
| "kiss" | ōsculārī | Portuguese/Galician oscular (learned form), Spanish ósculo | |
| bāsiāre | Catullus Catullus Gaius Valerius Catullus was a Latin poet of the Republican period. His surviving works are still read widely, and continue to influence poetry and other forms of art.-Biography:... , Petronius Petronius Gaius Petronius Arbiter was a Roman courtier during the reign of Nero. He is generally believed to be the author of the Satyricon, a satirical novel believed to have been written during the Neronian age.-Life:... |
French baiser, Italian baciare, Spanish/Catalan besar, Portuguese beijar, Macedo-Romanian baş | |
| "kitchen" | culīna | - | |
| coquīna | Apuleius Apuleius Apuleius was a Latin prose writer. He was a Berber, from Madaurus . He studied Platonist philosophy in Athens; travelled to Italy, Asia Minor and Egypt; and was an initiate in several cults or mysteries. The most famous incident in his life was when he was accused of using magic to gain the... |
French cuisine, Italian cucina, Spanish cocina, Portuguese cozinha | |
| "know" | scīre | Romanian şti | |
| sapere | French savoir, Italian sapere, Spanish/Portuguese/Catalan/Galician saber | ||
| "leg" | crūs | - | |
| *camba (Greek) | Vegetius (4th cent.) | French jambe, Italian gamba, Catalan/Portuguese camba, Romanian gambă, also Pt "câimbra, cambito, cambalhota, gâmbia, gambeta" | |
| perna | Portuguese/Galician perna, pernil, Spanish pierna | ||
| "male" | mās | - | |
| māsculus (diminutive) | Reichenau glosses | French mâle, Italian maschio, Portuguese/Galician (> Spanish) macho, Dialectal Romanian mascur | |
| "man" | vir | - | |
| homō/ Ac. hominem | French homme, Italian uomo, Portuguese homem, Spanish hombre, Catalan ome, Romanian om, in Classical Latin "a human being" (in opposition to gods and beasts) | ||
| baro (Frank. merging with Lat. vir) | Spanish varón, Old Spanish varone, Portuguese varão, Provençal bar, barò (English baron comes from Old French baron < Frank. baro "freeman, man, husband;" which merged with cognate Old English beorn "nobleman". Late Latin baro, baronem gave French baron, arc. ber, Italian barone, Portuguese barão, Spanish barón, Romanian baron) | ||
| "market" | forum | Old French fuer "law", Spanish fuero "id.", Portuguese foro/fórum "court", Italian foro, "hole" | |
| mercatum | Reichenau glosses | French marché, Italian mercato, Spanish/Portuguese/Galician mercado | |
| "mob" | turba | Italian/Spanish/Portuguese/Catalan turba | |
| *fulcus (Germanic *fulkaN) | Reichenau glosses | French foule, Italian folla | |
| "money" | pecūnia | Spanish/Italian pecunia, Portuguese pecúnia (learned), French pécune | |
| dēnārius | Italian denaro, French denier, Spanish dinero, Portuguese dinheiro, Catalan diner, originally a Roman coin | ||
| argentum | French argent, both "money" and "silver" (both meanings in Classical Latin), Italian argento, "silver", Romanian argint, Spanish and Portuguese plata/prata from Provençal "silver" | ||
| "mouth" | ōs | - | |
| bucca | French bouche, Italian bocca, Romanian/Macedo-Romanian/Megleno-Romanian bucă, Portuguese/Galician/Spanish/Catalan boca, originally "cheek" | ||
| "narrow" | angustus | Italian/Portuguese angusto, Spanish angosto, Romanian îngust, Macedo-Romanian ngustu, Istro-Romanian ăngust | |
| strictus | French étroit, Italian stretto, Portuguese estreito, estrito, Spanish estrecho, Romanian strâmt | ||
| "never" | numquam | Old French nonques, Spanish/Portuguese/Galician nunca | |
| iam magis | French/Portuguese jamais, Italian giammai, Spanish jamás, originally "ever" | ||
| "obey" | pārēre | - | |
| oboedīre | French obéir, Italian obbedire, Spanish/Portuguese obedecer | ||
| "old" | vetus | Old French viez, Italian vieto, "vestusto", Portuguese/Spanish vetusto (vetustus) | |
| vetulus (diminutive) veclus (vulgar transformation) | French vieux, Italian vecchio, Spanish viejo, Catalan , Portuguese velho, Romanian vechi, diminutive of vetus | ||
| "papyrus > paper" | charta | Italian carta, Romanian carte (book), Spanish/Portuguese carta "letter/chart" | |
| papȳrus | French papier, Spanish/Portuguese papel, Catalan paper, Italian "papiro" | ||
| "pay" | (ex)pendere | - | |
| dispendere | Italian spendere (Portuguese/Spanish despender, Catalan despendre "use") | ||
| pācāre | French payer, Italian pagare, Spanish/Catalan/Portuguese/Galician pagar, originally "bring under control" | ||
| "play" | lūdere | - | |
| iocārī | French jouer, Italian giocare, Spanish jugar, Portuguese jogar, Romanian juca, | ||
| "play" | lūdus | Portuguese ludo | |
| iocus | French jeu, Italian gioco, Spanish juego, Portuguese jogo, Romanian/Istro-Romanian/Megleno-Romanian joc, Macedo-Romanian gioc | ||
| "quail" | coturnīx | Spanish/Portuguese codorniz, Catalan codorniu | |
| *coācula (Germanic, from Frankish *kwakla) | Reichenau glosses | French caille, Italian quaglia | |
| "quick" | celer | Portuguese célere; Spanish celeridad (swiftness), Italian "celere" | |
| rapidus | Romanian repede Istro-Romanian răpede; French rapide, Italian rapido, Spanish/Portuguese/Galician rápido are learned forms that have replaced the regular outcomes Old French rade, Italian ratto, Spanish raudo | ||
| velox | Spanish/Portuguese/Galician veloz; Italian veloce | ||
| "recognise" | agnōscere | - | |
| recognōscere | French reconnaître, Italian riconoscere, Portuguese reconhecer, Spanish reconocer, Romanian recunoaşte | ||
| "red" | rubeus / rubidus | French rouge, Portuguese rúbeo, ruivo (red head, red-haired), rúbido, rubente, Spanish rúbeo, rubio (blond, fair hair), rubicundo, Catalan roig, Italian rubino | |
| ruber | Portuguese/Galician/Spanish rubro | ||
| rufus | Portuguese/Galician/Spanish rufo (English rufous) | ||
| russeus / russus | French roux (red head, red-haired), Italian rosso, Portuguese rússeo, roxo (purple), Spanish rojo, Romanian roşu, Megleno-Romanian roş, Istro-Romanian roiş, Macedo-Romanian aroş, Catalan rosso (blond) | ||
| vermiculus (Late Latin) | Catalan vermell , Portuguese vermelho, Galician vermello, Old French vermeillon (English vermillion/vermeil), Spanish bermejo, Italian "vermiglio" | ||
| "right a. Adjective In grammar, an adjective is a 'describing' word; the main syntactic role of which is to qualify a noun or noun phrase, giving more information about the object signified.... " (opp. "left") |
dexter | Italian/Portuguese destro, Spanish diestro, Catalan destre | |
| dirēctus | French droit, Italian diritto, Spanish derecho, Portuguese direito, Romanian drept, Macedo-Romanian dreptu, Istro-Romanian dirept | ||
| "right n. Noun In linguistics, a noun is a member of a large, open lexical category whose members can occur as the main word in the subject of a clause, the object of a verb, or the object of a preposition .Lexical categories are defined in terms of how their members combine with other kinds of... " |
iūs | Sicilian iussu | |
| dirēctus | French droit, Italian diritto, Spanish derecho, Portuguese direito, Romanian drept, Macedo-Romanian dreptu, Istro-Romanian dirept | ||
| "river" | flūmen | Italian fiume, Sicilian hiumi, Portuguese flume/flúmen (learned) | |
| fluvius | Portuguese flúvio, French fleuve (merged with Frank. *flōda "river to the sea"), Romanian fluviu (learned) | ||
| rīvus | Old French ri(f), Old Italian rigo, Spanish/Galician río Portuguese rio, Catalan riu, Romanian râu | ||
| "rock" | saxum | Italian sasso, Portuguese saxo, seixo | |
| *rocca (perhaps Germanic) | French roche, Italian roccia, Portuguese rocha, Spanish rocca, post-classical | ||
| "rope" | fūnis | Italian fune, Romanian funie, Portuguese/Spanish funículo | |
| chorda | French corde, Italian/Portuguese/Catalan corda, Spanish cuerda, Romanian coardă | ||
| "sand" | arena | Spanish arena, Portuguese areia, Dialectal Romanian arină, Sicilian rina, Italian "rena" | |
| sabulo | French sable, Italian sabbia, Portuguese saibro, Romanian sabie, Spanish sabre | ||
| "shirt" | tunica | Italian tonaca, Spanish "coat", Portuguese túnica | |
| camisia (Gaulish < Germanic *hamiþijaN, cf. Germ. Hemd "shirt") | Jerome Jerome Saint Jerome was a Roman Christian priest, confessor, theologian and historian, and who became a Doctor of the Church. He was the son of Eusebius, of the city of Stridon, which was on the border of Dalmatia and Pannonia... |
Vegliot Dalmatian language Dalmatian was a Romance language spoken in the Dalmatia region of Croatia, and as far south as Kotor in Montenegro. The name refers to a pre-Roman tribe of the Illyrian linguistic group, Dalmatae... kamaisa, Romanian cămaşă; with learned -i- (from the ecclesiastical language): French chemise, Italian camicia, Spanish/Catalan/Portuguese camisa |
|
| "short" | brevis | French bref, Italian/Spanish/Portuguese breve | |
| curtus | Portuguese/Galician curto, French court, Italian/Spanish corto, Romanian scurt | ||
| "show" | ostendere | Portuguese/Spanish ostentar, Italian "ostentare" | |
| mōnstrāre | French montrer (with Latin n for earlier mostrer), Italian mostrare, Spanish/Portuguese/Galician mostrar | ||
| "sick" | aeger | Italian "egro" | |
| dolente | Portuguese/Galician doente, Spanish doliente, Italian "dolente" | ||
| infirmus | Spanish/Portuguese/Galician enfermo, Italian "infermo" | ||
| male habitus | Nepos Cornelius Nepos Cornelius Nepos was a Roman biographer. He was born at Hostilia, a village in Cisalpine Gaul not far from Verona. His Gallic origin is attested by Ausonius, and Pliny the Elder calls him Padi accola... , Aulus Gellius Aulus Gellius Aulus Gellius , was a Latin author and grammarian, who was probably born and certainly brought up in Rome. He was educated in Athens, after which he returned to Rome, where he held a judicial office... |
French malade, Italian malato, Catalan malalt, Portuguese maladia/mal hábito, originally "in a bad condition" | |
| "sing" | canere | - | |
| cantāre (frequentative) | French chanter, Italian cantare, Portuguese/Galician/Spanish/Catalan cantar, Romanian cânta | ||
| "skin" | cutis | Portuguese cútis; Spanish cutis, Italian "cute" | |
| pellis | French peau, Italian pelle, Spanish piel, Portuguese pele, Catalan pell, Romanian piele; in Classical Latin normally "a hide" | ||
| "speak" | loquī | - | |
| fābulārī | Spanish hablar, Portuguese/Galician falar, Italian "confabulare" | ||
| *parabolāre | French parler, Italian parlare, hence Spanish parlar, Portuguese parlar/palrar/parolar | ||
| "spear" | fustis | Romanian/Macedo-Romanian fuşte, Megleno-Romanian fuşt (cf. Italian fusto "tree trunk", French fût "cask") | |
| hasta Hasta (spear) Hasta is a Latin word meaning spear. Hastae were carried by early Roman Legionaries, in particular they were carried by and gave their name to those Roman soldiers known as Hastati... |
Portuguese hasta/e, Spanish asta (shaft of a weapon), Italian asta | ||
| lancea Lancea The lancea was the Roman auxiliaries' short javelin. According to the OED, the word originally came from the Iberian Language , also cf longche, the Greek term for lance. On Spike TV's show Deadliest Warrior, the lancea was the Celt's mid-range weapon.... |
French lance, Italian lancia, Spanish/Galician lanza, Portuguese lança, Catalan llança | ||
| "spring" | vēr | Romanian vară, Spanish verano, Portuguese verão, Galician verán, "summer" | |
| prīma vēra | Italian/Spanish/Portuguese/Galician/Catalan primavera, Romanian primăvară, originally "first spring" | ||
| prīmum tempus | French printemps, literally "first time" | ||
| "stone" | lapis | Italian lapide, Portuguese lápide, Spanish lápida | |
| petra | French pierre, Italian pietra, Spanish piedra, Portuguese/Galician/Catalan pedra, Romanian piatră | ||
| "stonemason" | cēmentarius | Romanian cimitir | |
| makjō (Germanic, from Frankish) | Reichenau glosses | French maçon, Spanish masón, Portuguese maçom/mação | |
| petrarius | Portuguese pedreiro, Romanian pietrar | ||
| "sword" | gladium Gladius Gladius was the Latin word for sword, and is used to represent the primary sword of Ancient Roman soldiers. Early ancient Roman swords were similar to those used by the Greeks. From the 3rd century BC, the Romans adopted swords similar to those used by the Celtiberians and others during the early... |
French glai "iris", Old Italian ghiado, Portuguese gládio, Spanish gladio | |
| spatha Spatha The spatha was a type of straight sword, measuring between , in use throughout first millennium AD Europe, and in the territory of the Roman Empire until about 600 AD. Later swords from 600 AD to 1000 AD are recognizable derivatives, though they are not spathae.The spatha was used in gladiatorial... (Greek) |
French épée, Italian spada, Spanish/Portuguese/Galician espada, Catalan espasa, Romanian spată | ||
| "take" | capere | Old French chavoir, Italian capire "understand", Spanish/Catalan/Portuguese/Galician caber "contain" | |
| prehendere | French prendre, Italian prendere, Catalan pendre, Romanian prinde, Spanish prender | ||
| "teach" | docēre | Old French duire, Italian "docente" (noun) | |
| *insignāre | French enseigner, Italian insegnare, Romanian însemna, Spanish enseñar, Portuguese/Galician ensinar, probably originally "to engrave", from signāre, "to engrave", with prefix in- | ||
| "thigh" | femur | Portuguese fêmur (femur -- a learned word), Spanish fémur, Italian "femore" | |
| coxa | Reichenau glosses | Portuguese, Galician and Old Spanish coxa, French cuisse, Italian coscia, Catalan cuixa, Romanian coapsă, originally "hip", first attested in Silver Latin | |
| "thing" | rēs | French (ne) ... rien "nothing", Old Portuguese rem/nulla res "nothing" | |
| causa | Reichenau glosses | French chose, Italian/Spanish/Catalan cosa, Portuguese coisa/cousa, causa, originally "cause", Romanian cauză (has got another meaning: din această cauză is 'Because of –this-' | |
| "think" | cōgitāre | Portuguese/Spanish/Galician cogitar (to cogitate, to meditate, to infer, to reflect) and cuidar (to care, to take care; to suppose), Romanian cugeta, Italian "cogitare" | |
| pensāre | French penser, Italian pensare, Spanish/Portuguese/Galician pensar | ||
| "throw" | iacere | Italian giacere, Portuguese jazer (to be laid), Romanian zăcea, Spanishyacer | |
| iactāre | French jeter, Italian gettare, Spanish echar, Portuguese geitar; originally a frequentative | ||
| "tomorrow" | crās | Sicilian crai | |
| māne | French demain, Italian domani, Spanish mañana, Portuguese amanhã, Romanian mâine, originally "in the morning" | ||
| "touch" | tangere | Portuguese tanger (touch and play), Spanish tañer "play an instrument", Romanian atinge ( |
|
| *toccāre (Germanic *tukkōn "to knock, offend") | French toucher/toquer, Italian toccare, Spanish/Portuguese tocar (touch and play), probably originally "to knock, strike", Romanian toc (onomatopoeic, indicating a knock), toca (to beat or cut into pieces), toacă (singing wooden board) | ||
| "understand" | intelligere | Romanian înţelege, Portuguese inteligir | |
| comprehendere | French/Catalan comprendre, Portuguese compreender, Italian comprendere, Spanish comprender, Romanian cuprinde | ||
| capere | Italian capire "understand" (Old French chavoir, Spanish/Catalan/Portuguese/Galician caber "contain") | ||
| intendere | Italian/Portuguese/Spanish/Galician entender | ||
| "war" | bellum | - | |
| *werra (Germanic) | French guerre, Italian/Spanish/Portuguese/Galician guerra | ||
| "weep" | lamentāre | Portuguese/Galician/Spanish lamentar, Italian lamentarsi | |
| planctus | Portuguese prantear, Spanish llanto(noun) | ||
| plangere | Portuguese planger, Romanian plânge, French plaindre, Italian piangere | ||
| plōrāre | Reichenau glosses | French pleurer, Spanish llorar, Portuguese/Galician chorar, Catalan plorar, Romanian ploua, Italian "implorare", "deplorare" | |
| "white" | albus | Portuguese alvo, albino, Romanian alb, Spanish/Galician albo. (English/German/French/Italian/Spanish albino < Portuguese albino) | |
| *blancus (Germanic) | French/Catalan blanc, Italian bianco, Spanish blanco, Portuguese/Galician branco | ||
| "why" | cūr | - | |
| prō quō | French pourquoi, Italian perché, Spanish por qué, Portuguese porque/por que/porquê/por quê, Romanian pentru ce (although de ce is more frequently used) | ||
| "wide" | lātus | Italian/Portuguese/Spanish lato, Romanian lat | |
| largus | French large, Italian/Portuguese/Galician/Spanish largo, Romanian , originally "abundant" | ||
| "winter" | hiems | - | |
| hibernus | Reichenau glosses | French hiver, Italian/Portuguese/Galician inverno, Spanish invierno, , Catalan invern, Romanian/Macedo-Romanian/Megleno-Romanian iarnă, Istro-Romanian iǫrnę, adjective of hiems | |
| "woman" | fēmina | French femme, Italian femmina, Sicilian fímmina, Spanish hembra (female), Portuguese fêmea (female), Romanian femeie | |
| mulier | Portuguese mulher, Galician muller, Italian moglie (meaning wife), Spanish mujer, Romanian muiere | ||
| domina | Catalan dona (meaning woman), French dame (meaning lady/dame), Italian donna (meaning woman), Portuguese dona and dama (meaning lady/dame), Romanian doamnă (meaning lady/dame), Spanish dama and doña; originally "female head of a household, mistress" | ||
| "word" | verbum | Romanian vorbă, Portuguese/Spanish verbo | |
| parabola (Greek) | French parole, Italian parola, Portuguese palavra/parábola, Spanish palabra/parábola, in Silver Latin "a comparison" | ||
| "work" | labōrāre | Italian lavorare, Spanish labrar, Catalan llaurar, Portuguese laborar/lavorar/lavrar/labutar (labutar = blend of labōrāre and luctāri), Provençal lavorar | |
| *tripāliāre from trēs, "three" + pālus, "stake" | French travailler, Spanish trabajar, Portuguese trabalhar, Galician traballar, Catalan treballar, Romanian treabă (noun) | ||
| lucrāri | Romanian lucra, "to plough" or "to cultivate", but Italian lucràre, Portuguese/Spanish lucrar (to profit), French lucre (noun) | ||
| "yellow" | flāvus | Portuguese/Galician/Spanish flavo, flavícomo (fair hair), Italian "fulvo" | |
| fulvus | Portuguese/Galician fulvo, fulvícomo (fair hair) | ||
| galbinus | Petronius Petronius Gaius Petronius Arbiter was a Roman courtier during the reign of Nero. He is generally believed to be the author of the Satyricon, a satirical novel believed to have been written during the Neronian age.-Life:... , Martial Martial Marcus Valerius Martialis , was a Latin poet from Hispania best known for his twelve books of Epigrams, published in Rome between AD 86 and 103, during the reigns of the emperors Domitian, Nerva and Trajan... |
French jaune, Italian giallo, Romanian galben, Macedo-Romanian/Megleno-Romanian galbin, originally "greenish-yellow" | |
| amarus/dim. amarellus | Portuguese/Galician amarelo, Spanish amarillo | ||
| "yes" | ita | - | |
| sīc | Reichenau glosses | Italian sì, Spanish/Galician sí, Portuguese sim, French si | |
| hoc illud | French oui, Occitan oc |