See also: aĉus and -acus

Latin edit

Pronunciation edit

Etymology 1 edit

From Proto-Italic *akus, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱus, from the root *h₂eḱ- (sharp). Related to acuō (sharpen, whet) and aciēs (edge).[1]

Noun edit

acus f (genitive acūs); fourth declension

  1. a needle, a pin
  2. bodkin
  3. Alternative form of acus (bran)
    • 4 CEc. 70 CE, Columella, De re rustica 2.14:
      nam sēmina excussa in āreā jacēbunt, superque eā paulātim eōdem modō reliquī fasciculī excutientur, ac dūrissimae quidem acūs rejectae sēparataeque erunt ā cūdentibus, minūtae vērō, quae dē siliquīs cum fabā resēderint, aliter sēcernentur.
Declension edit

Fourth-declension noun.

Case Singular Plural
Nominative acus acūs
Genitive acūs acuum
Dative acuī acibus
Accusative acum acūs
Ablative acū acibus
Vocative acus acūs
Derived terms edit
Descendants edit
  • Aromanian: ac
  • Dalmatian: juac
  • Istriot: ago
  • Italian: ago
  • Neapolitan: aco
  • Northern-Italo Romance:
    • Romagnol: êg m
  • Romanian: ac
  • Sardinian: àcu

Etymology 2 edit

From Proto-Italic *akos, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éḱos (tip, bristle; ear/blade of grain, awn, chaff), from the root *h₂eḱ- (sharp). Cognates include agna (ear) and Proto-Germanic *ahaz (ear), Proto-Germanic *aganō, *ahanō (chaff) (> English awn), Ancient Greek ἄχυρον (ákhuron) (> Greek άχυρο (áchyro, hay)), and Tocharian B āke (tip, peak, end).[1]

Noun edit

acus n (genitive aceris); third declension

  1. bran, awn, chaff
    Synonym: āplūda
    • 234 BCE – 149 BCE, Cato the Elder, De agri cultura 54.2:
      sī fēnum non erit, frondem īligneam et hederāceam datō. paleās trīticeās et hordeāceās, acus fabāginum, viciam, vel dē lupīnō, item dē cēterīs frūgibus omnia condito.
    • 116 BCE – 27 BCE, Marcus Terentius Varro, Res rusticae 1.52:
      īs trītīs oportet ē terrā subjectārī vallīs aut ventilābrīs, cum ventus spīrat lēnis. ita fit ut quod levissimum est in eō atque appellātur acus <ac palea> ēvannātur forās extrā āream ac frūmentum, quod est ponderōsum, pūrum veniat ad corbem.
    • 116 BCE – 27 BCE, Marcus Terentius Varro, Res rusticae 1.57:
      parietēs et solum opere tēctōriō marmorātō lōrīcandī; sī minus, ex argillā mixtā acere ē frūmentō et amurcā, quod mūrem et vermem nōn patitur esse et grāna facit solidiōra ac firmiōra.
    • 116 BCE – 27 BCE, Marcus Terentius Varro, Res rusticae 3.9.8:
      in cubīlibus, cum parturient, acus substernendum.
Declension edit

Third-declension noun (neuter, imparisyllabic non-i-stem).

Case Singular Plural
Nominative acus acera
Genitive aceris acerum
Dative acerī aceribus
Accusative acus acera
Ablative acere aceribus
Vocative acus acera
Derived terms edit

References edit

  1. 1.0 1.1 Wodtko, Dagmar S.; Irslinger, Britta; Schneider, Carolin (2008), “*h₂ek̂-”, in Nomina im indogermanischen Lexikon [Nouns in the Indo-European Lexicon] (in German), Heidelberg: Universitätsverlag Winter, page 287–300
  • Ernout, Alfred; Meillet, Antoine (1985), “acus”, in Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue latine: histoire des mots (in French), with additions and corrections of Jacques André, 4th edition, Paris: Klincksieck, published 2001, page 7
  • acus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • acus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • acus in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
  • acus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette
  • Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
    • you have hit the nail on the head: rem acu tetigisti
  • acus”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898) Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • acus”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890) A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin