Baci romani: basium, osculum, savium

Abstract

As a manifestation of affection and love, kiss is one of the most widespread words both in literature and in daily life; therefore scholars have widely examined its various aspects, from the familiar kiss to the intensely erotic one. In this essay I analyse the three lexical families expressing the kiss in Latin language, pointing out the different genre through the close observation of the use of the various terms indicating it in the main authors of Latin literature. Some curiosities may be found.