159. On the Esquiline there is a Vicus Africus ‘African Row,’ because there, it is said, the hostages from Africa in the Punic War were kept under guard. The Vicus Cyprius ‘Good Row,’ from cyprum, because there the Sabines who were taken in as citizens settled, and they named it from the good omen: for cyprum means ‘good’ in Sabine. Near this is the Vicus Sceleratus ‘Accursed Row,’ named from Tullia wife of Tarquin the Proud, because when her father was lying dead in it she ordered her muleteer to drive her carriage on over his body.
160. Since a Row consists of houses, let us now look at the names of these. Domus ‘house’ is a Greek word, and therefore in the temples the room in front of the hall where the abode of the god is the Greeks call πρόδομος ‘front room,’ and that which is behind they call ὀρισθόδομος ‘back room.’ Aedes ‘house,’ from aditus ‘approach,’ because they adibant ‘approached’ it on level footing. Therefore the herald at an announced funeral even says that those who are carried out of any building made of boards, are carried ex aedibus ‘from the house’; and all the country-houses in the census-list we from that fact call aedes.
161. The cavum aedium ‘inner court’ is said of the roofed part which is left open within the house-walls, for common use by all. If in this no place was left which is open to the sky, it was called a testudo ‘tortoise’ from the likeness to the testudo, as it is at the general’s headquarters and in the camps. If some space was left in the centre to get the light, the place into which the rain fell down was called the impluvium, and the place where it ran together up above was called the compluvium; both from pluvia ‘rain.’ The Tuscanicum ‘Tuscan-style’ was named from the Tusci ‘Etruscans,’ after the Romans began to imitate their style of inner court. The atrium ‘reception hall’ was named from the Etruscans of Atria; for from them the model was taken.
162. Around the inner court the house was divided by walls, making rooms useful for different purposes: where they wished something to be stored away, they called it a cella ‘store-room,’ from celare ‘to conceal’; a penaria ‘food-pantry,’ where penus ‘food’ was kept; a cubiculum ‘sleeping-chamber,’ where they cubabant ‘lay down’ for rest; where they cenabant ‘dined,’ they called it a cenaculum ‘dining-room,’ as even now such rooms are named at Lanuvium in the Temple of Juno, in the rest of Latium, at Falerii, and at Corduba. After they began to take dinner upstairs, all the rooms of the upper story were called cenacula; still later, when they began to have several rooms for dining, they called one the hibernum ‘winter-room’ of the house, as in camps they speak of the hiberna ‘winter camp,’ from hiems ‘winter’; and on the other hand...
here the model copy lacked two leaves 163.... which worship Porcius means when, speaking of Ennius, he says that he dwelt in the locality of Tutilina. Next comes the Naevian Gate, so called because it is in the Naevian Woods: for the locality where it is, is called by this name. Then the Porta Rauduscula ‘Copper Gate,’ because it was at one time covered with copper. Copper is called raudus; from this the ancients had it written in their formula for symbolic sales:
Let him strike the balance-pan with a piece of raudus.
From here, the Lavernal Gate, from the altar of Laverna, because her altar is there.
164. Besides, inside the walls, I see, there are gates on the Palatine: the Gate of Mucio, from mugitus ‘lowing,’ because by it they drove the herds out into the cow-pastures which were then in front of the ancient town; a second called the Romanula ‘Little Roman,’ named from Rome, which has steps in New Street at the Chapel of Volupia.
165. The third gate is the Janual Gate, named from Janus, and therefore a statue of Janus was set up there, and the binding practice was instituted by Pompilius, as Piso writes in his Annals, that the gate should always be open except when there was no war anywhere. The story that has come down to us is that it was closed when Pompilius was king, and afterwards when Titus Manlius was consul, at the end of the first war with Carthage, and then opened again in the same year.
166. On the subject of beds, the origins of the names, so far as I have observed them, are the following: Lectica ‘couch,’ because they legebant ‘gathered’ the straw-coverings and the grass with which to make them, as even now is done in camp; these couches, that they might not be on the earth, they raised up on these materials; — unless rather from the fact that the ancient Greeks called a bed a λέκτρον. Those who covered up a couch, called the coverings segestria, because the coverings in general were made from the seges ‘wheat-stalks,’ as even now is done in the camp; unless the word is from the Greeks, for there it is στέγαστρον. Because the bed of a dead man fertur ’is carried,’ our ancestors called it a feretrum ‘bier,’ and the Greeks called it a φέρετρον.
167. After they had passed to the use of culcitae ‘mattresses and pillows,’ because into them they calcabant ‘pressed’ chaff or stuffing or something else, the article was called a culcita from inculcate ‘to press in.’ Whatever they spread upon this, they called a stragulum ‘cover’ from sternere ‘to spread.’ The pulvinar ‘cushioned seat of honour’ they derived either from plumae ‘feathers’ or from pellulae ‘furs.’ That with which they operibantur ‘were covered,’ they called operimenta ‘covers,’ and pallia ‘covers of a Greek sort’ they called opercula. Among these there are many foreign words, such as sagum ‘soldier’s blanket’ and reno ‘cloak of reindeer skin,’ which are Gallic, and gaunaca ‘heavy Oriental cloak’ and amphimallum ‘cloak shaggy on both sides,’ which are Greek; and on the other hand toral ‘valance,’ in front of the torus ‘bolster,’ is Latin, and so in torus ‘bolster,’ from tortum ‘twisted,’ because it is ready for use. From likeness to this is named the torulus ‘knob,’ an ornament on a woman’s head.
168. That by which they scandebant ‘mounted’ by a single scansio ‘step’ into a bed that was not high. they called a scabellum ‘bed step’; that by which they mounted into a higher bed, a scamnum ‘bed steps.’ A double step is called a gradus ‘pace,’ because it gerit ‘carries’ a higher step on the lower. Peristromata ‘bedspreads’ and peripetasmata ‘bed-curtains’ are Greek words, so are other things which are used for banquets as well — and of them there are quite a number.
169. The names of stamped money of bronze and silver are the following: as from aes ‘copper’; dupondius ‘two-as piece’ from duo pondera ‘two weights,’ because one weight was called an assipondium ‘as piece’; this for the reason that an as was a libra ‘unit’ pondo ‘by weight.’ From this the rest were named from the number up to centussis ‘one hundred asses,’ as as when the number is one, tressis from three asses, and so by regular analogy up to nonussis ‘nine asses.’
170. At the number ten this changes, because first there is the decussis from decent asses ‘ten asses,’ second the vicessis ‘twenty asses’ from two decusses, which is customarily pronounced bicessis, from duo ‘two’; the rest harmonize, in that the formation is like tricessis regularly up to centussis, after which there is no special word for larger sums of copper money: for ducenti ‘two hundred’ and higher numbers which are made analogically do not indicate asses any more than they do denarii or any other things.
171. The smallest piece of copper is a sextula, so named because it is the sexta ‘sixth’ part of an ounce. The semuncia ‘half-ounce,’ because it is the half of an ounce: se equals dimidium ‘half,’ as in selibra ‘half-pound’ and semodius ‘half-peck.’ Uncia ‘ounce,’ from unum ‘one.’ Sextans ‘sixth,’ from the fact that it is the sixth part of an as, as the quadrans ‘fourth’ is that which is a fourth, and the triens ‘third’ that which is a third. Semis ‘half-as,’ because it is a semi-as, that is, the half of an as, as has been said above. The septunx ‘seven ounces,’ contracted from septem and uncia.
172. The remaining words are less clear, because they are expressed by subtraction, and those elements from which the subtraction is made are such that they keep their last syllables: as that from which one dempta unc
ia ‘ounce is taken,’ is a deunx ‘eleven twelfths’; if a sextans is taken away, it is a dextans ‘five sixths’; if a quadrans is taken away, it is a dodrans; it is a bes ‘two thirds,’ or as it once was, a des, if a triens is demptus ‘taken off.’
173. In silver, there are coins called nummi, this word from the Sicilians: denarii, because they were worth deni aeris ‘ten asses of copper’; quinarii, because they were worth quint ‘five asses each’; and the sestertius ‘sesterce,’ so called because it is semis tertius ‘the third half-as.’ For the old-time sesterce was a dupondius and a semis; it is also a part of ancient practice, that they should speak of coin in reverse order, so that they named them the semis tertius ‘two and a half asses,’ semis quartus ‘the fourth half, three and a half asses’ semis quintus ‘the fifth half, four and a half asses.’ From semis tertius they said sestertius.
174. The tenth part of a nummus denarius ‘silver coin of ten asses’ is a libella, because the as was worth a pound by weight, and the as of silver was a small one. The simbella is so called because it is the half of a libella, as the semis is half of an as. The terruncius ‘three-ounce piece,’ from tres unciae ‘three ounces,’ because as this is the fourth part of a libella, so the quadrans is the fourth of an as.
175. This same money changes its name: for it can likewise be called dos ‘dower,’ arrabo ‘earnestmoney,’ merces ‘wages,’ corollarium ‘bonus.’ Dos ‘dower,’ if it is given for the purpose of a marriage; this in Greek is δωτίνη, for thus the Sicilians call it. From the same comes donum ‘gift’; for in Greek it is δόνειον with the Aeolians, and δόμα as others say it, and δόσις of the Athenians. Arrabo ‘earnest-money,’ when money is given on this stipulation, that a balance is to be paid: this word likewise is from the Greek, where it is ἀῤῥαβών. Reliquum ‘balance,’ because it is the reliquum ‘remainder’ of what is owed.
176. Damnum ‘loss,’ from demptio ‘taking away,’ when less is brought in by the sale of the object than it cost. Lucrum ‘profit’ from luere ‘to set free,’ if more is taken in than will exsolvere ‘release’ the price at which it was acquired. Detrimentum ‘damage,’ from detritus ‘rubbing off,’ because those things which are trita ‘rubbed’ are of less value. From the same trimentum comes intertrimentum ‘loss by attrition,’ because two things which have been trita ‘rubbed’ inter se ‘against each other’ are also diminished; from which moreover intertrigo ‘chafing of the skin’ is said.
177. A multa ‘fine’ is that money named by a magistrate, that it might be exacted on account of a transgression; because the fines are named one at a time, they are called multae as though ‘many,’ and because of old they called wine multa: thus when the countrymen put wine into a large jar or wine-skin, they even now call it a multa after the first pitcherful has been put in. Poena ‘penalty,’ from poenire ‘to punish’ or because it follows post ‘after’ a transgression. Pretium ‘price’ is that which is fixed for the purpose of purchase or of evaluation; it is named from the periti ‘experts,’ because these alone can set a price correctly.
178. If any payment is made for services or for labour, it is merces ‘wages,’ from merere ‘to earn.’ What was done by hand and what was paid for the work, were both called manupretium ‘workmanship’ and ‘workman’s pay,’ from manūs ‘hands’ and pretium ‘price.’ Corollarium ‘bonus,’ if anything is added beyond what is due; this word was made from corollae ‘garlands,’ because the spectators were in the habit of throwing flowers on the stage when they liked the actors’ performance. Praeda ‘booty’ is that which has been taken from the enemy, because it is parta ‘won’ by the work of the hands: praeda as though parida. Praemium ‘reward,’ from praeda ‘booty,’ because it is granted for something well done.
179. If money is given which is to be paid back, it is a mutuum ‘loan,’ so called because the Sicilians call it a μοῖτος; thus Sophron writes Loan to be repaid.
Also munus ‘present,’ because those who are on terms of mutuus ‘mutual’ affection give presents out of kindness; a second munus ‘duty,’ because it is ordered for the muniendum ‘fortification’ of the town, from which moreover the municipes ‘townspeople’ are named, who must jointly perform the munus.
180. If it is that money which comes into court in lawsuits, it is called sacramentum ‘sacred deposit,’ from sacrum ‘sacred’: the plaintiff and the defendant each deposited with the pontifex five hundred copper asses for some kinds of cases, and for other kinds the trial was conducted likewise under a deposit of some other fixed amount specified by law; he who won the decision got back his deposit from the temple, but the loser’s deposit passed into the state treasury.
181. Tributum ‘tribute’ was said from the tribus ‘tribes,’ because that money which was levied on the people, was exacted tributim ‘tribe by tribe’ individually, in proportion to their financial rating in the census. From this, that money which was allotted was attributum ‘assigned’; from this also, those to whom the money was assigned, that they may pay it to the soldiery, were called tribuni aerarii ‘treasury tribunes’; that which was assigned, was the aes militare ‘soldier’s pay-fund’; this is what Plautus means:
Comes the soldier, asks for cash.
And from this comes the term milites aerarii ‘paid soldiers,’ from the aes ‘cash-pay,’ because they earned stipends.
182. This very word stipendium ‘stipend’ is said from stips ‘coin,’ because they also called an aes ‘copper coin’ a stips; for because the asses were a pound each in weight, those who had received an unusual number of them did not put them in a strongbox, but stipabant ‘packed,’ that is, componebant ‘stored,’ them away in some chamber, that they might take up less space; they started the use of the word stips from stipare ‘to pack.’ Stips is perhaps from the Greek word στοιβή ‘heap.’ This is clear, because, as was then started, so even now they speak of a stips when they give money to the temple treasuries for the gods, and those who make a contract about money are said to stipulari ‘stipulate’ and restipulari ‘make counter-stipulations.’ Therefore the soldier’s stipendia ‘stipends,’ because they pendebant ‘weighed’ the stips; from this moreover Ennius writes:
The Phoenicians pay out the stipends.
183. From the same pendere ‘to weigh or pay, comes dispensator ‘distributing cashier,’ and in our accounts we write expensum ‘expense’ and therefrom the first pensio ‘payment’ and likewise the second and any others, and dispendium ‘loss by distribution,’ for this reason, that money is wont to become less in the dispendendo ‘distributing of the payments’; compendium ‘saving,’ which is made when it compenditur ’is weighed all together’; from which the usura interest,’ because it was added in ‘on’ the principal, was called impendium ‘outlay’; when it was not added to the principal, it was called usura ‘interest’ because of the usus ‘use’ of the money, just as sors ‘principal’ is said because it becomes one’s own by sors ‘union.’ It was once the custom to pay by the use of a pair of scales; a trace of this remains even now in the Temple of Saturn, because it even now has a pair of scales set up ready for weighing purposes. From aes ‘copper money’ the Aerarium ‘Treasury’ was named.
184. What we have thought to pertain to names which are places and those which express things in places, has been, as I think, adequately set forth, because a great many are perspicuous and if we should wish to write further the roll will not permit it. Therefore in the next book, as I said at the beginning of this book, I shall speak of the next topic, namely about times.
BOOK VI
1. The sources of the words which are names of places and are names of those things which are in these places, I have written in the preceding book. In the present book I shall speak about the names of times and of those things which in the performance take place or are said with some time-factor, such as sitting, walking, talking: and if there are any words of a different sort attached to these, I shall give heed rather to the kinsh
ip of the words than to the rebukes of my listener.
2. In this subject I rely on Chrysippus as an adequate authority, and on Antipater, and on those in whom there was more learning even if not so much insight, among them Aristophanes and Apollodorus: all these write that words are so derived from words, that the words in some instances take on letters, in others lose them, in still others change them, as in the case of turdus ‘thrush’ takes place in turdarium ‘thrush-cote’ and turdelix ‘magpie.’ Thus the Greeks, in adapting our names, make Λευκιηνός of Lucienus and Κοΐντιος of Quinctius, and we make Aristarchus of their Ἀρίσταρχος and Dio of their Δίων. In just this way, I say, our practice has altered many from the old form, as solum ‘soil’ from solu, Liberum ‘God of Wine’ from Loebesom, Lares ‘Hearth-Gods’ from Lases: these words, covered up as they are by lapse of time, I shall try to dig out as best I can.
3. First we shall speak of the time-names, then of those things which take place through them, but in such a way that first we shall speak of their essential nature: for nature was man’s guide to the imposition of names. Time, they say, is an interval in the motion of the world. This is divided into a number of parts, especially from the course of the sun and the moon. Therefore from their temperatus ‘moderated’ career, tempus ‘time’ is named, and from this comes tempestiva ‘timely things’; and from their motus ‘motion,’ the mundus ‘world,’ which is joined with the sky as a whole.
4. There are two motions of the sun: one with the sky, in that the moving is impelled by Jupiter as ruler, who in Greek is called Δία, when it comes from east to west; wherefore this time is from this god called a dies ‘day.’ Meridies ‘noon,’ from the fact that it is the medius ‘middle’ of the dies ‘day.’ The ancients said D in this word, and not R, as I have seen at Praeneste, cut on a sun-dial. Solarium ‘sun-dial’ was the name used for that on which the hours were seen in the sol ‘sunlight’; or also there is the water-clock, which Cornelius set up in the shade in the Basilica of Aemilius and Fulvius. The beginning of the day is mane ‘early morning,’ because then the day manat ‘trickles’ from the east, unless rather because the ancients called the good manum: from a superstitious belief of the same kind as influences the Greeks, who, when a light is brought, make a practice of saying, “Goodly light!”
Delphi Complete Works of Varro Page 45