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What is the origin of the word "quarantine"?

Question #150858. Asked by BigTriviaDawg.
Last updated Mar 25 2024.
Originally posted Mar 25 2024 8:17 PM.

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psnz star
Answer has 1 vote
psnz star
5 year member
1008 replies avatar

Answer has 1 vote.
The term dates back as far as 1377 C.E. The Venetians had a policy that ships from known plague countries had to wait for 40 days before docking. This forced isolation was to ensure that vessels were not carrying further cases of the disease.

From the 17th century, the Italian "quaranta giorni" meant "space of forty days." The root here is the Latin for "forty": "quadraginta." Other Romance languages have similar words for 40.

link https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=quarantine
Response last updated by psnz on Mar 25 2024.
Mar 25 2024, 8:19 PM
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