Etymograph

English

Vatican

Vatican comes from Latin Vātī̆cānus ‘Vatican Hill’.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEVātī̆cānus‘Vatican Hill’
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1856Vatican

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Earlier history uncertain.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEVātī̆cānus‘Vatican Hill’
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1856Vatican

Earliest quotation: 1856, The Art of Building in Ancient and Moder: “He [Caligula] began to build a circus upon the…”

The story

Learned borrowing from Latin Vātī̆cānus (‘Vatican Hill’), further etymology unknown.uncertain The source flags this step as uncertain. The connection to vāticinārī (‘to prophesy, oracle’) is folk-etymological.folk etymology The source marks this as unproven or a folk etymology. Quoted, not asserted.

Every English word from Latin Vātī̆cānus

Today it means

name The official residence of the Pope within Vatican City, the Vatican or Apostolic Palace.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Latin Vātī̆cānus / Vatican

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