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Etruscan Vocabulary



This catalogue of the so far translatable Etruscan vocabulary is as yet incomplete. Supplements will be added in due course, as it is intended to finally contain the full amount of meanings of Etruscan words for which the author can answer owing to linguistic analysis.
The inventory tries to give an onomasiological approach, e.g. it has been arranged uniting topics and sorting out different semantic fields.
Supposed translations are marked as such and by a ?, deduced word forms are followed by an *.



World, Earth    next
cel"earth, ground, soil"
thi"water; creak ?"
una"flowing, stream"
huin(-)"spring, well"
ushil"sun"
tiur"moon"
pulum(chva)"star(s)"
trut-*"lightening, bolt ?"
zeri"serene, unclouded (weather, sky)"
lur(i)"brightness (of stars)"
 
Animals    next   back
thevru"bull"
leu"lion(ess)"
krankru"cat ?, panther ?"
tusna"swan"
hiul(s?)"owl"
 
Bodily Functions    next   back
am-"to be"
acnanas"begot, bore"
svalce, svalthas (, ril ?)"(s)he lived, had lived"
 
Death, Grave    next   back
lupu"(has) died"
cesu"was/were interred "
tesham(-)"burial"
celuca*"interment ?"
hinthial"soul (of the deceased), 'shade'"
mutna"coffin, casket"
mursh"coffin, urn"
capra"coffin"
ma(n)"monument, tomb stone"
shuthi"vault, grave (building)"
tamera"grave chamber"
tus"coffin, kline, place (in a vault)"
hupnina"kline, coffin"
zelar"niche(s)"
zelarvena*"being supplied with niches"
shuthina"grave gift"
 
Clothing, Adornment    next   back
caper"cloak"
zam(a)thi"brooch"
mal(e)na"mirror (made of bronze)"
lur(i) "adornment"
 
Dwelling, House    next   back
per(a)"house"
ara- per(a)=c"house and home; property"
scuna"place, room"
kanna (1x), cana "precious item, work of art (length of cloth, stele o.s.)"
cver(a)"work of art, sculpture, statue"
trepu"craftsman, carpenter"
zinace"produced (pottery)"
acil(u)"producer, potter"
cerichunce"erected, built, had erected"
ce(ri)nu"(was) erected, built"
 
Quantity, Number    next   back
churu"full (in number)"
heva"all, everyone"
snuiaph"as much/many as"
thu"one"
zal"two"
ci"three"
mach"four"
huth"five"
sha"six"
sar"ten"
huthzar"fifteen"
ciem zathrum"seventeen"
eslem zathrum"eighteen"
thunem zathrum"nineteen"
zathrum"twenty"
ci zathrum"twenty-three"
huth zathrum"twenty-five"
thunem cealch"twenty-nine"
ce/ialch"thirty"
muvalch"forty"
shealch"sixty"
thunz"once"
eslz"twice"
ciz"thrice"
 
Possession, Property    next   back
al(i)ce / muluvanece / tur(u)ce"gave, dedicated"
alpan"gift of thanks"
alicha"gift, present"
lautn"possession"
thaura"property ?"
 
Emotions, Qualifying    next   back
hathna"happy"
mlach / mlaka-"good, beautiful"
azaru(a)"good ?"
calus(u-)"excellent, best"
zeri"free (person); accessible (water)"
thuta (f.)"chaste, married only once"
 
Speech, Writing    next   back
zichuche"was written; incised; carved"
zich"book; letter ?"
zic(h)u"clerk, writer"
penth(u)na"(inscribed) stone, stele"
 
Religion, Cult    next   back
ais > eis"god"
flere"deity"
tmia"temple, sanctuary"
tamera"(temple) cella"
fler"sacrifice, ritual o.s."
aisna"sacrifice, ritual o.s."
fase"libation"
un(n.) "pouring out, spill (as a libation)"
cletram"litter, table ? (applied in cultual practise)"
caper heci '(ritual) cloak'
tuthi(u)"pledge, vow, votum"
tuthina"votive gift"
cana, cver(a), shuris, tinscvil'consecrated objects'
trutnuth"fulguriator (lat.): a seer, reading lightnings"
netshvis"haruspex (lat.): a seer, reading animal entrails"
maru"chairman of a cultual society"
zilath'cultual functionary'
al(i)ce / muluvanece / tur(u)ce"donated, dedicated"
cenu"(was) built"
 
Warfare    next   back
macstrna(appr.) "aide de camp"
       
Mankind, Family    next   back
mi"I"
sa"self"
marish (m.)"(male) baby, boy, youth"
leinth"old age; old woman"
lasa"bride ?" ("nymph")
marish"bridegroom ?"
ati"mother"
apa"father"
apana"paternal"
puia"wife; woman ?"
sech"daughter"
sech farthana / harthna"stepdaughter"
clan"son"
clanti"adoptive son"
clan thunchultha "step son"
hush(i)ur"children"
ati nacn(uv)a, teta"grandmother"
apa nacna, papa "grandfather"
tetals"grandson/granddaughter (in relation to a grandmother)"
papals"grandson/granddaughter (in relation to a grandfather)"
nefts"nephew"
prum(ath)s"grandnephew"
netei (f.)"mother-in-law ?"
ati(v)u"stepmother"
ziv(a)-"relatives, kinship"
hatrencu (f.)"?"
ath(e/u)mica (plural)(plural) 'relatives'
arce "(s)he raised (children)"
 
Food, Vessels    next   back
eleiva-*"oil"
vinum"wine"
achapri"jug, oinochoe"
hushlna"(wine) mug ?, amphore ? (for cultual use)"
pruchum"jug"
qutum"jug"
qutumuza"little jug (for straining)"
lechtumuza"little jug, aryballos"
thina"ewer"
eleivana"container of oil"
vertun'some sort of vessel'
zavena"two-handled vessel, kantharos"
zavenuza'same as before ?' (however, see Biondi, Acme 50, 1997, 3-31)
fasena"vessel for libations; (askos)"
spanti"bowl for libations and drinking; plate"
culichna"bowl"
thafna, thapna"drinking vessel, cup, lid (of a thina)"
s(h)untheruza"pyxis, (little, round clay) box"
[Wallace, Studi Etruschi 64, 201ff.]
 
Spatial Relations    next   back
scuna"place, room"
shuth"to put ?"
ika > eca (noun), ca, gen. cla, (adj.)"this, that"
cal, gen. clal"this here"
ita > eta (noun), ta (adj.)"this, that"
eclthi, clthl (loc.)"here"
thui, thuves"inside"
thva-* ?"interior, inner"
(ce)hen"outer, outside"
cipen > cepen, pen"below, under"
srenc-*"above, upper"
srancza-"upper part/piece"
penza-"lower part/piece"
hampha-"right side"
laiva-"left side"
thes(h)viti"to/in the East"
faviti"in the West"
ushil"South ?"
 
Transport, Motion    next   back
truth-"to cast, to throw"
tezan"way, road"
favin"to descend ?"
thes-"to mount"
 
Time, Age    next   back
leine"at the age of"
mean"childhood, youth"
sh(i)ans"beginning, scheme, plan"
hintha (hinth(i)u)"to cease, to finish" ("(was) finished")
thesan"dawn, sunrise, morning"
ushil"noon"
tinia"day"
tiur"month"
avil"years"
ilucu'a period: part of a month ? o.s.'
ena"today ?, now(adays) ?"
ishveita > eshvita"following, later day"
uelcitanus (lat.)"martius (March)"
aberas (lat.)"aprilis (April)"
apirase"in the month of April"
ampiles (lat.)"maius (May)"
anpilie"in the month of Mai"
aclus (lat.)"iunius (June)"
acal(v)e"in the month of June"
traneus (lat.)"iulius (July)"
thucte"in the month of July ? / August ?"
ermius (lat.)"augustus (August)"
celius (lat.)"September"
celi"in the month of September"
xof(f)er ? (lat.)"October"
alshase"in *Alshasa (~ phoenician "in the month of K(i)r(a)r")"
tulerase"in *Tulerasa (~ phoenician "in the month of the sacrifice to the Sun")"
 
Social and Political Divisions    next   back
spur(a)"city, polis"
methlum"township"
rasna"public, belonging to the state"
thunchultha- (thunchver-?)"private"
tular"border(s), frontier(s), territory"
cel"(piece of) soil, territory"
nape(r)"borderstone(s)"
hilar"marked off"
mech"lady, queen"
sacni and derivations"citizen(s)"
eter(a), eterti 'member of a class of citizens'
marish"servant, slave"
snenath"woman servant, lady's maid"
lautni"slave, freedman"
lautnitha"female slave, freedwoman"
themias-"had obeyed"
zeri"free"
 
Law and Justice    back
cecha"treaty"
shurnu-"order ?, testament ?"
teur-"jugdement, panel, award"
tevarath"jugde, arbitrator o.s."
tupi"punishment"


last actualised on
6-14-2002




  [Origins]    [Grammar]    [Place Names]  


This vocabulary doesn't contain any names of gods, persons or places, as that topic is extensive enough to request a page of its own, which will be added to my website sooner or later. In my book
Dieter H. Steinbauer, Neues Handbuch des Etruskischen, Scripta Mercaturæ Verlag, St. Katharinen 1999, ISBN 3-89590-080-X, you'll find a complete Etruscan vocabulary with detailed annotations. This book, unfortunately, is so far only available in German.
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(who, by the way, would be very grateful if you'd let him know any mistakes of English grammar, spelling, syntax, etc., which you may discover in these translations)
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