Etymograph

English

compluvium

Compluvium comes from Latin compluvium ‘a rectangular open space in the middle of a…’, from compluit ‘it flows together, it rains upon’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *plew- ‘to flow, float, wash’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*plew-1‘to flow, float, wash’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*plowō1reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpluit2‘it rains’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcompluit2‘it flows together, it rains upon’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcompluvium3‘a rectangular open space in the middle of a Roman house’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1881compluvium3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin pluit
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin compluvium
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English compluvium
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1881, William Audsley: “In the centre of the floor of the atrium…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*plew-Wiktionary, Latin pluit‘to flow, float, wash’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*plowōWiktionary, Latin pluitreconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpluitWiktionary, Latin compluvium‘it rains’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcompluitWiktionary, Latin compluvium‘it flows together, it rains upon’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcompluviumWiktionary, English compluvium‘a rectangular open space in the middle of a Roman house’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1881compluviumWiktionary, English compluvium. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1881, William Audsley: “In the centre of the floor of the atrium…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *plew- ‘to flow, float, wash’

fly, flow, flew, pneumonia, fowl, plough, plutonium, flue, flay, plutocracy, 24 more

through Latin pluit ‘it rains’

plover, 7 more

Today it means

noun A space left unroofed over the court of a dwelling in Ancient Rome, through which the rain fell into the impluvium or cistern.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “compluvium”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin pluit, Latin compluvium. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *plew- / compluvium

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