latibulum

English

WOTD – 26 February 2024

Etymology

A European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) beside its latibulum or burrow.

Learned borrowing from Latin latibulum (“den of animals; hiding place, refuge”), from lat(eō) (“to conceal, hide, lie hidden; to be hidden and in safety”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *leh₂- (“to be concealed”)) + -bulum (suffix denoting a place or vessel).

The plural form latibula is a learned borrowing from Latin latibula.

Pronunciation

• Singular:
  • (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /ləˈtɪbjʊləm/

  • Audio (Southern England)

    (file)

  • Hyphenation: lat‧i‧bu‧lum
• Plural:
  • (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /ləˈtɪbjʊlə/
  • Hyphenation: lat‧i‧bu‧la

Noun

latibulum (plural latibula)

1. (obsolete) A concealed hiding place, especially of an animal; a burrow, hole, or lair.

   Synonym: cuniculus

   Hyponyms: rabbit hole, rabbit warren

   • a. 1632 (date written), John Donne, “Sermon LVIII. Preached upon the Penitential Psalms.”, in Henry Alford, editor, The Works of John Donne, D.D., […], volume III, London: John W[illiam] Parker, […], published 1839, →OCLC, page 4:

     [T]he Roman church had made this latibulum, this hiding place, this refuge from persecution, hermitages and monasteries, to be the most conspicuous, the most glorious, the most eminent, the richest and most abundant places of the world; […]

   • a. 1644 (date written), Lucius Cary, “Here Followeth the Third Part of this Discourse, […]”, in Sir Lucius Cary, Late Lord Viscount of Falkland, His Discourse of Infallibility, with an Answer to It: And His Lordships Reply. […], London: […] Gartrude Dawson, for Iohn Hardesty, […], published 1651, →OCLC, page 210:

     [I]t never can be certainlie found, vvhat are her opinions of any point, or vvhen ſhe hath declared her ſelfe: As […] appeares by your refuſing to leave your Latibula; and declare plainlie your opinion concerning it, vvhich if you ſavv defenſible, and you vvere all agreed about it, you vvould quicklie have done, […]

   • 1653 April 30 (date written; Gregorian calendar), R. Masson, “A Letter Directed to the Author from a Worthy Friend of His, Fully Discovering the Ground of All Mans Prevarications”, in John Bulwer, A View of the People of the Whole World: Or, A Short Survey of Their Policies, Dispositions, Naturall Deportments, Complexions, Ancient and Moderne Customes, Manners, Habits & Fashions. […], London: […] William Hunt, published 1654, →OCLC:

     [I] found your curious diligence, looking, not only unto Civill ſocieties, but prying alſo unto the ruder crouds and ſilveſtrous heards of mankinde, peeping into every latibulum and ſolitary buſh to devellope the effects and incongruous reſults of the phantaſticall projects of (the novv little better then the perfecter ſort of ape called Man) […]

   • 1678, R[alph] Cudworth, chapter I, in The True Intellectual System of the Universe: The First Part; wherein All the Reason and Philosophy of Atheism is Confuted; and Its Impossibility Demonstrated, London: […] Richard Royston, […], →OCLC, page 51:

     [T]hoſe very Forms and Qualities, and the Self-moving povver of Body, vvhich vvere commonly made a Sanctuary for Atheiſm, might notvvithſtanding chance to prove, contrarivviſe, the Latibulum and Aſylum of a Deity, and that a Corporeal God […] might lie lurking under them, aſſaulting mens minds vvith doubtful Fears and Jealouſies; […]

   • 1681, Christopher of Jelingen alias Jelinger, “Containing a Conclusive Prayer to Jesus Christ for this Sacred Union”, in Sacra Unio, or, An Holy Union, […], London: […] M. White, for John Wright […], and Jacob Sampson […], →OCLC, partition VIII, page 57:

     Thou lord art my ſhadovv, my refuge, my fortreſs, my labitulum and hiding place, and my defence.

     Referring to Psalm 91 of the Bible.

   • 1691, John Ray, “Of Bodies Endued with a Sensitive Soul, or Animals”, in The Wisdom of God Manifested in the Works of the Creation. […], London: […] Samuel Smith, […], →OCLC, page 114:

     [E]very VVaſps-Neſt is begun by one great Mother-VVaſp, vvhich over-lives the VVinter, lying hid in ſome hollovv Tree, or other Latibulum.

   • 1712, John Morton, “Of the Air and Heavens”, in The Natural History of Northampton-shire; with Some Account of the Antiquities. […], London: […] R. Knaplock […], and R. Wilkin […], →OCLC, paragraph 29, page 339:

     Theſe little Frogs are invited from the Brooks, and Ponds, and out of their Latibula, in or immediately after the vvarmer Summer Shovvers, by the kindly and grateful Humidity vvhich is then in the Air and Earth: […]

   • 1742, [Daniel Defoe], “Letter V. Giving a Brief Account of the Isles of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, and Sarke.”, in A Tour thro’ the Whole Island of Great Britain. […], 3rd edition, volume III, London: […] J. Osborn, […], →OCLC, page 259:

     But the vvorſt of the reptile Kind are Moles, vvhich damage the Corn and Graſs, though they compenſate that Detriment by affording a freer Paſſage to the Rain thro' their Latibula.

   • 1744, Richard Arnald, “A Critical Commentary upon the Book of the Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach. [Chapter XI, Verse 15.]”, in A Commentary on Such Books of the Apocrypha as are Appointed to be Read in Churches […], new edition, London: […] Samuel Bagster, […], published 1809, →OCLC, page 126, column 1:

     Ælian [Claudius Aelianus] says, that serpents among the Egyptians […], are zealously worshipped, that they are kept in their houses, and become so tame, that even among their children they are innocent and inoffensive. He describes their latibula, diet, and the manner of feeding them, and shews, in many instances, the great care taken of them, and the particular regard paid to them; […]

   • 1790, Joshua Peterkin, “A Description of the Borer, or the Phalæna Saccharivora: According to the Systemæ Naturæ”, in A Treatise on Planting, from the Origin of the Semen to Ebullition; […], 2nd edition, St. Christopher [i.e., Basseterre, Saint Kitts]: […] Edward Luth[e]r Low, […], →OCLC, pages 7–8:

     [T]hey attack the [sugar] cane in various directions; frequently in the roots, and bottom of the origination of the joints, and eat their vvay up the culmus, and then finds a proper latibulum in the middle of the alburnum: This den vvhich they make, retards the aſcent of the ſacharine juices, a ſtrong fermentation enſues, it paſſes through the firſt ſtage, and commences the acetous.

   • 1870, Carl Ritter, “Jerusalem, […]. Discursion VI. The Water Reservoirs and Burial-places in and around Jerusalem.”, in William L. Gage, transl., The Comparative Geography of Palestine and the Sinaitic Peninsula. […], volume IV, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, […], →OCLC, page 167:

     The ornamented tomb, with its four chambers and its many niches […], dating probably from the time of Herod, is held, considered in connection with some adjoining ones, to be the Latibula of the Apostles, in which, according to the legend of the middle ages, eight of the twelve were concealed during the time of Jesus' imprisonment.

   • 2014, G. M. C. Lewis, “Shalwar”, in The Laundry Basket (The Monkey’s Fist Collection; 1), Kibworth Beauchamp, Leicestershire: Matador, →ISBN, page 117:

     Now she traces a different route: from the black, splintery latibulum that lies somewhere under the gargoyles, slates and gothic buttresses, through the complex reticulum of beams and wooden pillars that support the great structure of rooftops.

   • 2016, Torben Kjersgaard Nielsen, “Henry of Livonia on Woods and Wilderness”, in Marek Tamm, Linda Kaljundi, Carsten Selch Jensen, editors, Crusading and Chronicle Writing on the Medieval Baltic Frontier: A Companion to the Chronicle of Henry of Livonia, Abingdon, Oxfordshire; New York, N.Y.: Routledge, →ISBN, part I (Representations), pages 163 and 176:

     [page 163] Henry [of Livonia] only seldom designates these latibula any further. At the most, these hiding places appear to Henry to be dark or gloomy (tenebrosa) or he states that they are simply placed in particularly dense parts of the forests. […] We learn in Henry's chronicle that the forests contain hiding places for the Baltic peoples when they are threatened by either German missionary forces or by neighbouring tribes on the rampage. These latibula appear to be established as carefully selected places of refuge. […] [page 176] The forests can also be seen as sites for pagan religion, as in the story of the Liv who came out from his latibulum to report a vision: […]

Related terms

• latibulize

Translations

concealed hiding place, especially of an animal — see also burrow,‎ lair

• Macedonian: ду́вло n (dúvlo)
• Portuguese: latíbulo m
• Romanian: latibul m

Further reading

• burrow on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Latin

Etymology

From lateō +‎ -bulum. Doublet of latebra.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /laˈti.bu.lum/, [ɫ̪äˈt̪ɪbʊɫ̪ʊ̃ˑ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /laˈti.bu.lum/, [läˈt̪iːbulum]

Noun

latibulum n (genitive latibulī); second declension

1. hiding place, refuge
2. den (of animals)

Declension

Second-declension noun (neuter).

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	latibulum	latibula
Genitive	latibulī	latibulōrum
Dative	latibulō	latibulīs
Accusative	latibulum	latibula
Ablative	latibulō	latibulīs
Vocative	latibulum	latibula

Related terms

• lateō

Descendants

• → English: latibulum (learned)
• → Italian: latibolo (learned)
• → Romanian: latibul (learned)

References

• “latibulum”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “latibulum”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• latibulum in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.