Caelum

Latin caelum, means both 'the heavens' (from the same root as 'celestial') and 'sculptor's chisel' or burin, or engraving tool for metals. It is this instrument that La Caille had in mind when he named this constellation.

The word 'sky', often used to translate Latin caelum, is a cognate of Latin scutum, shield, Scutum is another constellation. Our word 'sky' comes from an Old Norse word, sky, which means 'cloud'. The word Caelum, on the other hand, is related to German heiter, which is translated 'clear, shining, cloudless'. The word celestial derives from Latin caelum; celestial in English seems to refer to objects above the clouds; celestial beings are heavenly beings, meaning a god or angel, planets and stars are celestial bodies. The Roman counter-part for Greek Uranus is Caelus. Klein suggests the name Uranus, Greek Ouranos, comes from the same root as 'urine', ourein, Orion's name also derives from this source; ourein.

Caelum comes from the Indo-European root *kae-id- 'To strike'. Derivatives: caesura (a pause in speech), cement (rough stone chippings, 'to cut, hew, lop', whence also caelum for *caid-(s)lom, 'chisel'), cestus² (ancient Roman boxing gloves with studs), chisel, -cide, scissor (scissors), abscise, circumcise, concise, decide, decision, excise², incise, incisive, incisors, precise, recision (from Latin caedere, to cut, strike, hit, knock down, murder, smash), Caelum, ceil (to overlay, cover with a ceiling. — French ciel, 'sky, canopy'), ceiling (from Latin caelare, from caelum, chisel), celestial. [Pokorny (s)k(h)ai- 917. Watkins] Also related is cerulean (sky-blue, formed in English from Latin caeruleus dark blue, from caelum sky, heaven). Klein supplies more cognates and says "Compare also cheetah, chintz, chit, chitty, 'a short letter'".

"Lofty (celsus) is named after sky, because one is elevated and high, as if the term were 'celestial' (caelestis).” [p.215.] "The sky and its name (De caelo et eius nomine). The philosophers have said that the sky (caelum, 'sky, heaven, the heavens') is rounded, spinning, and burning; and the sky is called by its name because it has the figures of the constellations impressed into it, just like an engraved (caelare) vessel. God distinguished the sky with bright lights, and he filled it with the sun and the gleaming orb of the moon, and he adorned it with brilliant constellations composed of glittering stars. In Greek the sky is called ouranos, from orasthai, that is, from 'seeing,' from the fact that the air is clear and very pure for seeing through” [p.100]. "The sky (De caelo): The sky (caelum) is so named because, like an engraved (caelatum) vessel, it has the lights of the stars pressed into it, just like engraved figures; for a vessel which glitters with figures that stand out is called caelatus. ... Sometimes the word 'sky' is used for the air, where winds and clouds and storms and whirlwinds arise. Lucretius (cf. On the Nature of Things 4.133): The sky (caelum), which is called air (aer). And the Psalm (78:2; 103:12, Vulgate) refers to 'fowls of the sky (caelum), 'when it is clear that birds fly in the air; out of habit we also call this air, 'sky.' Thus when we ask whether it is fair or overcast we sometimes say, 'How is the air?' and sometimes 'How is the sky?' ” [p.272.]. "The chisel (cilium, i.e. caelum or cilio) is the tool with which silversmiths work, and from this engraved (caelare) vessels are named.” [p.376.] “Chased (caelatus) dishes are silver or gold, modeled inside and out with figures that stand out, so called from an engraver's burin (caelum), which is a kind of iron tool, which commonly is called a chisel (cilio).” [p.399.] [The Etymologies of Isidore of Seville, 7th century AD.]

Quintilianus believed that the words celibate and caelum are related:

"Because Saturn cut off the genitalia of Caelus (Uranus), men who have no wives are, therefore, called caelibes (celibate). ... caelibes, 'bachelors' was the same as caelites, 'inhabitants of heaven'" [Quintilianus, ca. 35-ca. 100, p.55].

Isidore also sees celibate as related to caelum:

"A 'celestial one' (caeles) is so called because such a one directs his course to the sky (caelum). Celibate (caelebs), one having no part in marriage, of which kind are the numinous beings in heaven (caelum), who have no spouses - and caelebs is so called as if the term were 'blessed in heaven' (caelo beatus). Heavenly-dweller (caelicola), because they 'dwell in heaven' (caelum colere) - for that is an angel.” [The Etymologies of Isidore of Seville, 7th century AD, p.215.]

Celestial also related to the Chinese people or to the former Chinese Empire.

In his book On The Latin Language, Varro gave his views about the origin of the word caelum: 

Caelum, Aelius writes was so called because it is caelatum ‘raised above the surface,' or from the opposite of its idea, celatum ‘hidden’ because it is exposed; not ill the remark, that the one who applied the term took caelare ‘to raise’ much rather from caelum than caelum from caelare. But that second origin, from celare ‘to hide,' could be said from this fact, that by day it celatur ‘is hidden,' no less than that by night it is not hidden. On the whole I rather think that from chaos came choum and then cavum ‘hollow,' and from this caelum ‘sky,' since, as I have said, "this around and above, which holds in its embrace the earth," is the cavum caelum ‘hollow sky.' And so Andromeda says to Night,

You who traverse the hollows of sky

With your chariot marked by the stars.

And Agamemnon says,

In the shield of the sky, that soundeth on high, for a shield is a hollow thing.

And Ennius likewise, with reference to a cavern,

Enormous arches of the sky.

Wherefore as from cavum ‘hollow’ come cavea [Translator's note: 'Commonly meaning the spectators' part of the theatre; but also ‘stall, bird-cage, bee-hive] 'cavity,' and caullae ‘hole or passage,' and convallis ‘enclosed valley’ as being a cavata vallis ‘hollowed valley,' and cavernae ‘caverns’ from the cavatio ‘hollowing,' as a cavum ‘hollow thing,' so developed caelum ‘sky’ from cavum, which itself was from chaos, from which, in Hesiod," come all things. [Varro: On The Latin Language. p.17, 19 ]

Cavum comes from the Indo-European root *keue- 'To swell; vault, hole'. Derivatives: cave, cavern, cavetto, cavity, concave, excavate, (these words from Latin cavus, hollow), celiac (relating to the abdominal cavity), -cele² or -coel (chamber; cavity), coelom (the cavity between the body wall and the gut of many animals), acoelomate (an animal that lacks a coelom; flatworm, fluke, tapeworm, and ribbon worm), (these words from Greek koilos, hollow), coelentrates, codeine (Greek kodeia 'poppy head', from Greek kóos, hollow place, cavity), cumulate, cumulus, accumulate, (these words from Latin cumulus, heap, mass), church (from kyrios 'ruler, lord'), kirk, Kyrie (a petition and response like 'Lord, have mercy'), kermis (a fundraising fair or carnival, from Greek kurios), Cyril (personal name, from late Greek Kurillios, 'lordly'), cyma or cymatium (S-shaped molding), cyme, pseudocyesis (phantom pregnancy, from Greek kuein, to swell, 'a swelling,' wave), enceinte¹ (enceinte is the French word for 'pregnant', and it literally means 'no girdle', un-cinched, 'engirdled', from Latin inciens, pregnant). [Pokorny 1. keu- 592. Watkins] Klein supplies more cognates: casserole, maroon (from Spanish cimarron, a runaway slave, derivative of cima), cage (from Latin cavea, from cavus, 'hollow'), cabinet (probably diminutive of gabbia, 'cage', from Latin cavea), cadger (derives from French cage in the sense of 'basket'), decoy (a lure, a bait, from Dutch de-, + kooi, 'cage', from Latin cavea), gabion (a basket of wickerwork), jail, gaol (from Vulgar Latin caveola, diminutive of Latin cavea, 'cage').

Varro's suggestion: "On the whole I rather think that from chaos came choum and then cavum ‘hollow,' and from this caelum ‘sky"; and; "from cavum, which itself was from chaos, from which, in Hesiod, come all things". Chaos comes from the Indo-European root *ghéu- 'To yawn, gape'. Derivatives: gum² (of the mouth, 'flesh in which the teeth are set', from Old English goma, palate, jaw). Variant form *ghau-; chaos, gas (alteration of Greek khaos, chaos, empty space). [Pokorny gheu- 449. Watkins]

© Anne Wright 2008.