Silvaticus

In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "alex_lycos" wrote:

> P&G wrote:
>>
>>> Latin "silvaticus". In Old Latin it was "salvaticus"
>>
>> I am not aware of this. Can you give examples which are not mere
>> spelling mistakes?
> [...]
> silva, -ae f "Wald, Gehölz"; Fülle, Vorrat, Stoff [ vgl.
> "Silvae"=Materialien]. Seit Naev., Enn., Plaut., Cato, rom., ebenso
> "silvaticus" seit Cato [ vlt. und rom. "salvaticus"=wild unter
> Ahnlehnung an "salvare"]

The only (big) problem of the initial text is that "salvaticus"
is _not_ the "Old Latin" form. As one can read [vlt. = Vulgar
Latein & rom. = Romanisch], the form with "a" is formed under
the influence of "salvare" from "silvaticus" and has the correct
meaning `wild` (others say the "a" form is due to assimilation).
So, "silvaticus" > "salva:ticus" not the contrary. The result is
to be found also in Romance: "sarvaggiu" (sic.), "sauvage" (fr.),
"selvaggio/salvatico" (it.), "salvatge" (cat.), "salvadek" (milan.),
etc.

> cf DEX= from Vulgar latin salvaticus (=silvaticus)

What's wrong with it?! (not even the *)

Cheers,
Marius Iacomi