ludibrium

English

Noun

ludibrium (plural ludibria)

1. (archaic, formal) A plaything or trivial game.
2. (archaic, formal) A laughing stock.

Related terms

• ludibry

Latin

Etymology

From ludus (“game”), related to ludo (“I mock”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /luːˈdi.bri.um/, [ɫ̪uːˈd̪ɪbriʊ̃ˑ] or IPA^(key): /luːˈdib.ri.um/, [ɫ̪uːˈd̪ɪbriʊ̃ˑ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /luˈdi.bri.um/, [luˈd̪iːbrium] or IPA^(key): /luˈdib.ri.um/, [luˈd̪ibrium]

Noun

lūdibrium n (genitive lūdibriī or lūdibrī); second declension

1. mockery, derision
2. wantonness
3. laughing stock
4. toy, plaything

   Synonym: crepundia

Declension

Second-declension noun (neuter).

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	lūdibrium	lūdibria
Genitive	lūdibriī lūdibrī1	lūdibriōrum
Dative	lūdibriō	lūdibriīs
Accusative	lūdibrium	lūdibria
Ablative	lūdibriō	lūdibriīs
Vocative	lūdibrium	lūdibria

¹Found in older Latin (until the Augustan Age).

Descendants

• Italian: ludibrio
• Spanish: ludibrio

References

• “ludibrium”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ludibrium”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• ludibrium in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • the plaything of Fortune: ludibrium fortunae
    
  • to serve as some one's butt: ludibrio esse alicui
    
  • to become an object of ridicule; to be laughed at: in ludibrium verti (Tac. Ann. 12. 26)
    
  • in sport, mockery: per ludibrium