English
irriguous
Irriguous comes from Latin irriguus ‘irrigated, watered’, from rigō ‘to wet’, and ultimately from Proto-Italic *rigā- ‘to lead toward’.
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*rigā-‘to lead toward’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErigōas rigāre‘to wet’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEriguus‘watered’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEirriguus‘irrigated, watered’
- Englishearliest quotation 1667irriguous
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*rigā-‘to lead toward’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErigōas rigāre‘to wet’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEriguus‘watered’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEirriguus‘irrigated, watered’
- Englishearliest quotation 1667irriguous
Earliest quotation: 1667, John Milton, Book IV: “Betwixt them Lawns, or level Downs, and Flocks /…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *Hreyǵ- ‘to stretch tight, bind’
reach, rigid, rigorous, rigour, 6 more
through Latin rigō ‘to wet’
Today it means
adj Irrigated, well-watered.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Italic *rigā- / irriguous