Where does “Caligula” come from?
Caligula is the diminutive form of Latin caliga, ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European -lós, a suffix forming agent nouns.
Caligula (English): Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, third Roman emperor from 37 to 41
Definitions
- Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, third Roman emperor from 37 to 41
Ancestry of “Caligula”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | Caligula | — |
| 2 | Latin | caliga | Leather shoe or boot; second-person singular... |
| 3 | Latin | -ula | regō + API → rēgula; tegō + API → tēgula;... |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | -tlom | Alternative form of *-trom |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -trom | Forms nouns denoting a tool or instrument |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -tḗr | Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone... |