English
roriferous
Roriferous comes from Latin rōrifer ‘which brings or spreads dew, dew-bringing’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErōrifer1‘which brings or spreads dew, dew-bringing’
- Englishearliest quotation 1801roriferous1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English roriferous
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1801, Fugitive Pieces in Prose and Verse, The British Critic: “At his gladſome approach, adown the vaſt ethereal expanſe,…”.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErōriferWiktionary, English roriferous‘which brings or spreads dew, dew-bringing’
- Englishearliest quotation 1801roriferousWiktionary, English roriferous. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1801, Fugitive Pieces in Prose and Verse, The British Critic: “At his gladſome approach, adown the vaſt ethereal expanſe,…”
A compound of rōs ‘dew, moisture’ + ferō ‘carry, bear’
Proto-Indo-European *h₁ers- ‘to flow, pour’
Proto-Indo-European *h₁rṓs ‘dew, moisture’
Proto-Italic *rōs
Latin rōs ‘dew, moisture’
Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- ‘to bear, carry’
Proto-Indo-European *bʰéreti ‘to bear, carry’
Proto-Italic *ferō ‘to carry, bear’
Latin ferō ‘carry, bear’
Every English word from Latin rōrifer
Today it means
adj Producing or generating dew.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “roriferous”. 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 / Latin rōrifer / roriferous