Caeso (praenomen)
Encyclopedia
Caeso or Kaeso (ˈkaɪsoʊ) is a Latin praenomen
, or personal name
, usually abbreviated K. Although never a common name, Caeso was regularly used by a number of prominent families, both patrician and plebeian, during the period of the Roman Republic
. The feminine form is Caesula (also spelled Cesula, Caesulla, Caesilla, and Caesillia). The name also gave rise to the patronymic gens Caesonia. Kaeso is the older spelling, dating from the period when the letter K was still frequently used before the vowel A in Latin, and before the letters C and G were differentiated.
The praenomen Caeso was regularly used by the patrician gentes Fabia and Quinctia during the 1st centuries of the Republic, and also by the plebeian gentes Atilia and Duilia (both of which may originally have been patrician). It is also found in the gentes Acilia, Fabricia
, and Latria, and must once have been used by the ancestors of gens Caesonia
. Its use gradually declined throughout Republican times, and seems to have fallen out of use around the 1st century AD
, and followed by Sextus Pompeius Festus
, who derived it from the verb caedere, "to cut," and explained that it was originally given to a child who was cut from the mother's womb, in the operation that came to be known as the Caesarean section
. This seems to be a reasonable etymology for the name of the operation, but it is probably an example of false etymology
with respect to the name Caeso, as well as the cognomen
Caesar, which appears to derive from the same root.
Marquardt and Mommsen, while still deriving the name from caedere, speculated that Caeso was somehow connected with the lashings administered by the Luperci, or "brotherhood of the wolf," a body of priests, during the festival of the Lupercalia
. As the Luperci ran about the ancient city wall, dressed in animal skins and carrying leather thongs, girls and young women would gather along the route to receive lashes, which were believed to promote fertility.
However, the likeliest explanation derives the name from caesius, "blue-grey," a word frequently used to describe the color of the eyes. This etymology was given by Festus with respect to the feminine form, Caesula. It was also one of four different explanations given for the cognomen Caesar, which Varro
believed to have originated as a praenomen. This opinion is accepted by Chase, in his treatise, "The Origin of Roman Praenomina."
Praenomen
The praenomen was a personal name chosen by the parents of a Roman child. It was first bestowed on the dies lustricus , the eighth day after the birth of a girl, or the ninth day after the birth of a boy...
, or personal name
Given name
A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...
, usually abbreviated K. Although never a common name, Caeso was regularly used by a number of prominent families, both patrician and plebeian, during the period of the Roman Republic
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
. The feminine form is Caesula (also spelled Cesula, Caesulla, Caesilla, and Caesillia). The name also gave rise to the patronymic gens Caesonia. Kaeso is the older spelling, dating from the period when the letter K was still frequently used before the vowel A in Latin, and before the letters C and G were differentiated.
The praenomen Caeso was regularly used by the patrician gentes Fabia and Quinctia during the 1st centuries of the Republic, and also by the plebeian gentes Atilia and Duilia (both of which may originally have been patrician). It is also found in the gentes Acilia, Fabricia
Fabricia (gens)
The gens Fabricia were a family of ancient Rome.They seem to have belonged originally to the Hernican town of Aletrium, where Fabricii occur as late as the time of Cicero...
, and Latria, and must once have been used by the ancestors of gens Caesonia
Caesonia (gens)
The gens Caesonia was a plebeian family at Rome, during the late Republic and into imperial times.-Origin of the gens:The nomen Caesonius is a patronymic surname, based on the praenomen Caeso, which must have belonged to the ancestor of the gens.-Members of the gens:* Marcus Caesonius, praetor,...
. Its use gradually declined throughout Republican times, and seems to have fallen out of use around the 1st century AD
Origin and Meaning of the Name
The most familiar etymology of this praenomen was given by Gaius Plinius SecundusPliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian...
, and followed by Sextus Pompeius Festus
Sextus Pompeius Festus
Sextus Pompeius Festus was a Roman grammarian, who probably flourished in the later 2nd century AD, perhaps at Narbo in Gaul.He made an epitome in 20 volumes of the encyclopedic treatise in many volumes De verborum significatu, of Verrius Flaccus, a celebrated grammarian who flourished in the...
, who derived it from the verb caedere, "to cut," and explained that it was originally given to a child who was cut from the mother's womb, in the operation that came to be known as the Caesarean section
Caesarean section
A Caesarean section, is a surgical procedure in which one or more incisions are made through a mother's abdomen and uterus to deliver one or more babies, or, rarely, to remove a dead fetus...
. This seems to be a reasonable etymology for the name of the operation, but it is probably an example of false etymology
False etymology
Folk etymology is change in a word or phrase over time resulting from the replacement of an unfamiliar form by a more familiar one. Unanalyzable borrowings from foreign languages, like asparagus, or old compounds such as samblind which have lost their iconic motivation are...
with respect to the name Caeso, as well as the cognomen
Cognomen
The cognomen nōmen "name") was the third name of a citizen of Ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. The cognomen started as a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became hereditary. Hereditary cognomina were used to augment the second name in order to identify a particular branch within...
Caesar, which appears to derive from the same root.
Marquardt and Mommsen, while still deriving the name from caedere, speculated that Caeso was somehow connected with the lashings administered by the Luperci, or "brotherhood of the wolf," a body of priests, during the festival of the Lupercalia
Lupercalia
Lupercalia was a very ancient, possibly pre-Roman pastoral festival, observed on February 13 through 15 to avert evil spirits and purify the city, releasing health and fertility...
. As the Luperci ran about the ancient city wall, dressed in animal skins and carrying leather thongs, girls and young women would gather along the route to receive lashes, which were believed to promote fertility.
However, the likeliest explanation derives the name from caesius, "blue-grey," a word frequently used to describe the color of the eyes. This etymology was given by Festus with respect to the feminine form, Caesula. It was also one of four different explanations given for the cognomen Caesar, which Varro
Marcus Terentius Varro
Marcus Terentius Varro was an ancient Roman scholar and writer. He is sometimes called Varro Reatinus to distinguish him from his younger contemporary Varro Atacinus.-Biography:...
believed to have originated as a praenomen. This opinion is accepted by Chase, in his treatise, "The Origin of Roman Praenomina."