Ladin
/laˈdiːn/noun
Ladin is a Romance language spoken mainly in the Dolomite valleys of northern Italy.
Did you know?Ladin developed from regional varieties of Vulgar Latin after Roman expansion into the Alpine area, rather than directly from Classical Latin alone.
Etymological Timeline
1st Century BCE–1st Century CE
Latin
Latinus
“Latin; of Latium or the Roman people”
Late Antiquity
Vulgar Latin
latīnus
“Latin speech or the local Romance vernacular”
Early Medieval Period
Proto-Rhaeto-Romance
*ladin
“Romance speech descended from Latin in the Alpine region”
Medieval Period
Alpine Romance
ladin
“The local Romance language or its speakers”
19th Century
German/Italian scholarship
Ladinisch / ladino
“Ladin, the Romance language of the Dolomites”
Modern English
English
Ladin
“The language of the Dolomite valleys and related Alpine communities”