Vetus

Vetus is a Latin term meaning old or ancient. In Latin grammar it functions as an ordinary descriptive adjective and agrees with the noun it modifies. It is attested across classical, medieval, and ecclesiastical Latin to denote antiquity, former times, or long-standing tradition. The word can describe people, customs, places, or objects deemed venerable or aged.

A prominent historical usage is Vetus Testamentum, the Old Testament, a designation still encountered in scholarly and liturgical Latin to distinguish the Hebrew scriptures from the New Testament. Beyond this phrase, vetus appears in contexts discussing ancient laws, practices, or sites, as well as in stylistic or rhetorical references to antiquity.

In modern contexts, Vetus may appear as a proper name in branding, geographic designations, or surnames, reflecting its literal sense of age. The term shares an etymological lineage with English words such as veteran, which descend from the same Latin root related to age and long-standing experience. The root connection underlines how Latin vocabulary continues to influence contemporary terms related to age, authority, and tradition.

Linguistically, vetus inflects like other Latin adjectives, altering form to agree with gender, number, and case of the noun it modifies. This adaptability helps explain its wide range of uses in Latin prose and poetry, as well as its persistence in phrases and names that reference antiquity.