urbs

      Latin

      urbs (a city)

      Etymology

      According to the Urbian theory, from *OR/UR- or *OL/UL-, "huge, big, elevated". Cognate with Thracian Az-oros, Basque uri, hiri (“township”), Greek λαβύρινθος (labyrinthos) and Sumerian Ur and Urbillum, today the city of Irbil. This theory is opposed by many linguists.

      Pronunciation

      Noun

      urbs (genitive urbis); f, third declension

      1. a city, walled town
        • 63 BCE, Cicero, Catiline Orations (Latin text and English translations here)
          O di immortales, ubinam gentium sumus? Quam rem publicam habemus? In qua urbe vivimus?.
          O ye immortal gods, where on earth are we? In what city are we living? What is the government we have?
        Urbi et orbi.
        To the city and the world.
        Urbi ferro flammāque minitatus est.
        He threatened the city with fire and sword.
      2. The City, viz. Rome
        • p. 52 BCE, Gaius Iulius Caesar, Commentarii de bello Gallico, Book I, sect. vii
        • Caesari cum id nuntiatum esset, eos per provinciam nostram iter facere conari, maturat ab urbe proficisci et quam maximis potest itineribus in Galliam ulteriorem contendit et ad Genavam pervenit.
          When it was reported to Caesar that they were attempting to make their route through our Province he hastens to set out from the City, and, by as great marches as he can, proceeds to Further Gaul, and arrives at Geneva.
        Ab urbe condita.
        From the founding of the City.

      Inflection

      Number Singular Plural
      nominative urbs urbēs
      genitive urbis urbium
      dative urbī urbibus
      accusative urbem urbēs 1
      ablative urbe urbibus
      vocative urbs urbēs

      1May also be urbīs.

      Derived terms

      • urbicapus
      • urbicārius
      • urbicremus
      • urbicus
      • Urbīnum

      Descendants

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      Last modified on 10 February 2013, at 16:16