Vulcan
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈvʌlkən/
Forms: form: Vulcans
Etymology: From Middle English Vulcan, Vulcanus, Wlcan, from Old English Ulcanus (genitive), from Classical Latin Vulcānus, probably from Etruscan although very unclear, but unknown meaning and further origin (see more in Latin entry). Doublet of bolcane and volcano.
Proper noun sense 2.5 (“hypothetical planet”) is a semantic loan from French Vulcan, coined by French physicist, mathematician and astronomer Jacques Babinet in 1846, who proposed this name after the god for a planet close to the Sun.
Noun senses 1 (“blacksmith; metalworker”), 2 (“one who is lame”), and 3 (“fire”) are allusions to Vulcan as the god of fire and metalworking and his lameness. Compare Middle French Vulcan (“blacksmith; metalworker”), also attested in early modern French meaning “fire” in apparently isolated use.
Noun sense 4 (“volcano”) is from Middle English wlcane, originally after Middle French Vulcan, wlcan, and chiefly after Spanish volcán in subsequent use, ultimately arising from Latin Vulcānus and Italian Vulcano as a name for Mount Etna and one or more of the Aeolian Islands (with active volcanoes on the islands now called Vulcano and Stromboli), probably after Arabic بُرْكَان (burkān, “volcano”), ultimately reflecting the Latin and Italian place names.
Senses: examples: text: How ſay you fryer Robert, out of what foꝛge came theſe warlike engins? they were hammered in Salamanca the ſeuenth day of March, 1602. and are as you ſee, read hote. But what Vulcan was the woꝛkeman of them?
ref: 1603, [Thomas Bell], “Of His Notorious Treasons and Bloodie Trecheries”, in The Anatomie of Popish Tyrannie: […], London: […] Iohn Harison, for Richard Bankworth, […], →OCLC, book 2 […], chapter V (Of the Birth, Parentage, Qualitie, Disposition, and Demeanour, of Robert Parsons the Iesuite), page 74:
text: Cingis-chan (as Haithon and others ſay, his contemporaries) was at firſt by profeſſion a Vulcan or Black-ſmith, by condition a good honeſt ſimple man: […]
ref: 1638, Tho[mas] Herbert, “The History of the Great Mogull”, in Some Yeares Travels Into Divers Parts of Asia and Afrique. […], 2nd edition, London: […] R[ichard] Bi[sho]p for Iacob Blome and Richard Bishop, →OCLC, book I, page 55:
text: Dis ille aduersis genitus fatoque sinistro, / Quem pater ardentis massae fuligine lippus / A carbone et forcipibus gladiosque paranti / Incude et luteo Volcano ad rhetora misit.
ref: 1693 [c. 100–127], Decimus Junius Juvenalis, John Dryden, transl., “[The Satires of Decimus Junius Juvenalis.] The Tenth Satyr”, in The Satires of Decimus Junius Juvenalis. Translated into English Verse. […] Together with the Satires of Aulus Persius Flaccus. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson […], →OCLC, page 199, lines 202–205:
text: This bearer is the Vulcan of our village, and one of the eaters of us farmers. He hath a design to buy his goods at the fountain head in the country.
ref: 1704 August 20, Roger North, “For North Foley, Esq.”, in Augustus Jessopp, editor, The Lives of the Right Hon. Francis North, Baron Guilford; the Hon. Sir Dudley North; and the Hon. and Rev. Dr. John North. […] (Bohn’s Standard Library), volume III, London: George Bell and Sons, […], published 1890, →OCLC, page 252:
text: Aprons are Defences; against injury to cleanliness, to safety, to modesty, sometimes to roguery. From the thin slip of notched silk (as it were, the emblem and beatified ghost of an Apron), which some highest-bred housewife, sitting at Nürnberg Workboxes and Toyboxes, has gracefully fastened on; […] to those jingling sheet-iron Aprons, wherein your otherwise half-naked Vulcans hammer and smelt in their smelt-furnace,—is there not range enough in the fashion and uses of this Vestment?
ref: 1831, Thomas Carlyle, “Aprons”, in Sartor Resartus: The Life and Opinions of Herr Teufelsdröckh. […], London: Chapman and Hall, […], →OCLC, 1st book, page 29:
text: In place of the bow-legged tailor, sitting at his board; the tubercular Sheffield grinder coughing out his lungs; or the seamstress, toiling away for dear life in the attic, we have the sturdy blacksmith, a Vulcan at the forge; […]
ref: 1994, Raphael Samuel, “The Eye of History”, in Theatres of Memory, volume 1 (Past and Present in Contemporary Culture), London: Verso, →ISBN, part V (Old Photographs), page 324:
glosses: A blacksmith; a metalworker.
examples: text: To make you merry that are the Gods of Art, and guides vnto heauen, a number of rude Vulcans, vnweldy ſpeakers, hammer-headed clownes (for ſo it pleaſeth them in modeſtie to name themſelues) haue ſet their deformities to view, as it were in a daunce here before you.
ref: 1600, Thomas Nash, “The Epilogue”, in A Pleasant Comedie, Called Summers Last Will and Testament, London: […] Simon Stafford, for Walter Burre, →OCLC, signature I2, verso:
text: And therefore ſo many, who are ſiniſtrous unto Good Actions, are Ambi-dexterous unto bad, and Vulcans in virtuous Paths, Achilleſes in vitious motions.
ref: c. 1670s (date written), Thomas Brown [i.e., Thomas Browne], “Sect[ion] XX”, in John Jeffery, editor, Christian Morals, […], Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: […] [A]t the University-Press, for Cornelius Crownfield printer to the University; and are to be sold by Mr. Knapton […]; and Mr. [John] Morphew […], published 1716, →OCLC, part III, page 109:
text: [T]hus array’d and ſtump’d, they commend his garb and mein to their neighbours, to make them appear ſuch limping Vulcans as he is.
ref: 1756, John Dove, An Essay on Inspiration: or An Attempt to Shew that the Pretences of the Ancient and the Modern Zamzummim, to That Ray of Divinity, Were, and Are, Deceptions. […], London: […] [F]or the Author; and sold by E. Withers, […] R. Baldwin, […] and G. Keith, […], →OCLC, page 82:
text: The man was a Hercules, or perhaps a Vulcan would be better, since his right leg was twisted and misshapen, and sensibly shorter than its fellow.
ref: 1906, Alfred Henry Lewis, “The Man with the Crutch”, in Confessions of a Detective, New York, N.Y.: A[lfred] S[mith] Barnes & Company, →OCLC, page 108:
glosses: One who is lame (unable to walk properly), especially with a twisted or otherwise misshapen leg.
examples: text: Comme vn foible Vulcan, que la troupe frilleuſe / Des paſteurs laiſſe cheoir dans l’orée fueilleuſe / D’vne vaſte foreſt, ſe tient coy quelque tems, / Eſleuant des nuaux fumeuſement flottans / Sur vn humble buiſſon: puis aydé par Zephire / Fait voye rougiſſant aux efforts de ſon ire: / Monte du bas hallier au flairant Aubeſpin, […]
ref: 1595 [1584], Guillaume de Saluste Seigneur du Bartas, translated by William L’Isle, Babilon, a Part of the Seconde Weeke of Guillaume de Saluste Seigneur du Bartas, with the Commentarie, and Marginall Notes of S. G. S., London: […] Ed[mund] Bollifant, for Richard Watkins, →OCLC, page 15:
text: [Ὅ]ταν δὲ τὸν ἄνδρα τῆς ἀδελφῆς ἠφανισμένον ἐν θαλάττῃ καὶ μὴ τυχόντα νομίμου ταφῆς θρηνῶν λέγῃ μετριώτερον ἂν τὴν συμφορὰν ἐνεγκεῖν / Εἰ κείνου κεφαλὴν καὶ χαρίεντα μέλεα / Ἥφαιστος καθαροῖσιν ἐν εἵμασιν ἀμφεπονήθη, / τὸ πῦρ οὕτως, οὐ τὸν θεὸν προσηγόρευσε.
ref: 1603 [c. 100], Plutarch, “Reading and Hearing of Poemes and Poets”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Philosophie, Commonlie Called, The Morals […], London: […] Arnold Hatfield, →OCLC, page 30:
roman: [Hó]tan dè tòn ándra tês adelphês ēphanisménon en thaláttēi kaì mḕ tukhónta nomímou taphês thrēnôn légēi metriṓteron àn tḕn sumphoràn enenkeîn / Ei keínou kephalḕn kaì kharíenta mélea / Hḗphaistos katharoîsin en heímasin ampheponḗthē, / tò pûr hoútōs, ou tòn theòn prosēgóreuse.
text: [I]n the midſt they make their Vulcan or fire near to a great Tree, upon the ſnags whereof they hang their kettles fil’d with the Veniſon; […]
ref: 1674, John Josselyn, “The Second Voyage”, in An Account of Two Voyages to New-England. […], London: […] Giles Widdows, […], →OCLC, page 138:
text: [N]or let the crude Humors dance / In heated Braſs, ſteaming with Fire intenſe; / Altho’ Devonia much commends the Uſe / Of ſtrengthning Vulcan; […]
ref: 1708, [John Philips], “Book II”, in Cyder. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], →OCLC, page 57:
text: Thence to the South as far extend thy eyes; / There rival flames with equal glory riſe, / From ſhelves to ſhelves ſee greedy Vulcan roll, / And lick up all their Phyſick of the Soul.
ref: 1728, [Alexander Pope], “Book the Third”, in The Dunciad. An Heroic Poem. […], Dublin; London: […] A. Dodd, →OCLC, page 40, lines 71–74:
text: What a strange, Titanic thing this Fire, this Vulcan, here at work in the night in this bog, far from men, dangerous to them, consuming earth, gnawing at its vitals!
ref: 1850 May 5, Henry David Thoreau, edited by Bradford Torrey, The Writings of Henry David Thoreau: Journal, volume X (Journal, IV: May 1, 1852–February 27, 1853), Boston, Mass.; New York, N.Y.: Houghton Mifflin and Company, published 1906, →OCLC, pages 22–23:
text: If we have had the dominion of one element shown, now we behold the opposing element. Fire, fighting the waters. This Vulcan, or heat, is chiefly borne by the winds who dry up the streams.
ref: 1897, Denton J[aques] Snider, “Books 19–22”, in Homer’s Iliad. With a Preliminary Survey of the Four Literary Bibles. A Commentary., St. Louis, Mo.: Sigma Publishing Co., […], →OCLC, page 450:
glosses: Fire; a fire.
examples: text: Mas de los fuegos, que ay en Bolcanes de Indias, que tienen digna conſideracion, diraſe commodamente, quando ſe trate de la diuerſidad de tierras, donde eſſos fuegos, y bolcanes ſe hallan.
ref: 1604 [1590], Ioseph Acosta, translated by E[dward] G[rimeston], “Of the Windes, Their Differences, Properties, and Causes in Generall”, in The Naturall and Morall Historie of the East and West Indies. […], London: […] Val[entine] Sims for Edward Blount and William Aspley, →OCLC, book 3, page 119:
text: Some think that this was a hill, on the top whereof were Lions and Vulcans of fire, about the middle was paſture and Goats, at the foot Serpents, which Bellerophon made habitable: […]
ref: 1647, Alexander Ross, “Chimæra”, in Mystagogus Poeticus, or The Muses Interpreter: Explaining the Historicall Mysteries, and Mythicall Histories of the Ancient Greek and Latine Poets. […], London: […] Richard Whitaker […], →OCLC, page 63:
text: Not to mention that the Number of theſe may, in divers Places, be much increaſed, by thoſe Vulcans, that have open Vents to diſcharge their Fumes into the Air; […]
ref: a. 1692 (date written), Robert Boyle, “Title XI. Of Salts in the Air.”, in The General History of the Air, […], London: […] Awnsham and John Churchill, […], published 1692, →OCLC, page 41:
text: From the Vulcan of Soconuſco, to the Vulcans of Amilpas, is twelve Leagues. This is all very high and remarkable Land. The two higheſt Vulcans have each a River of freſh Water right againſt them. Theſe Vulcans ſend out Smoke ſometimes, but not often.
ref: 1707, William Funnell, chapter V, in A Voyage round the World. Containing an Account of Captain [William] Dampier’s Expedition into the South-Seas in the Ship St George, […], London: […] W. Botham, for James Knapton, […], →OCLC, page 111:
glosses: A volcano.