Pontifex maximus pointed out that the term existed before there were any bridges in Rome and derived the word from Old Latin "pontis" (sic) meaning a powerful or absolute master, while others derived it from "potis facere" in the sense of "able to sacrifice". The last derivation is mentioned also by Varro, who rejected it, but it was the view of Pontifex Maximus Quintus Scaevola. Others have held that the word was originally "pompifex" (leader of public processions). The word "pons" originally meant "way" and "pontifex" would thus mean "maker of roads and bridges". Another opinion is that the word is a
Latin obscenity from Latin "cauda/cōda" "tail". The Portuguese "penis", first attested in the 10th century, is thought to derive from a vulgar Latin word "*caraculum" "a little stake". The Italian "" has no obvious Latin ancestor. A number of different suggestions have been made for its origin, but none has yet gained general acceptance. The basic word for the testicles in Latin was "cōleī" (singular: "cōleus"). It appears to have had an alternative form *"cōleōnēs" (singular: "cōleō"), from which the Spanish "cojones" and other Romance forms are derived. (One late Latin source has the spelling "culiones"). The etymology of "cōleī" is obscure.