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The earliest known use of the adjective caliginous is in the mid 1500s. OED's earliest evidence for caliginous is from around 1550, in Complaynt of Scotland.
Use of the word in English goes all the way back to Chaucer in the late 1300s, when he used the more Latinlike spelling crepusculus. It is more than likely that the word’s use in English in later centuries was influenced by French, which settled on the spelling crépuscule and is much more frequently used than in English, since it does the ...
The word caliginous entered the English language in the early 17th century. It was borrowed from Latin through French, where it appeared as "caligineux." Examples:
Oct 30, 2022 · caliginous (adj.) "dim, obscure, dark," 1540s, from Latin caliginosus "misty," from caliginem (nominative caligo ) "mistiness, darkness, fog, gloom," which is of uncertain origin. De Vaan's entry for it compares Greek kēlas "mottled; windy" (of clouds), kēlis "stain, spot;" perhaps Sanskrit kala- "black," Latin calidus "with a white mark on ...
How to use caliginous in a sentence. misty, dark… See the full definition. Games & Quizzes; Games & Quizzes; Word of the Day; Grammar ... First Known Use.
Sep 28, 2024 · English. [edit] WOTD – 28 January 2019. Etymology. [edit] Borrowed from Middle French caligineux (“misty; obscure”), or directly from its Latin etymon cālīginōsus (“misty; dark, obscure”). Cālīginōsus is derived from cālīgō, cālīginis (“fog, mist, vapour; darkness, gloom”)) + -ōsus (suffix meaning ‘full of, prone to’ forming adjectives from nouns).
The earliest known use of the noun caliginousness is in the early 1600s. OED's earliest evidence for caliginousness is from 1620, in the writing of Tobias Venner, physician and medical writer. caliginousness is formed within English, by derivation.
