alvus

Latin

Etymology

• From Proto-Italic *aulos, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewlós, nominal form of *h₂ewlo- (“tube, hole, channel”), with metathesis. Cognate with Ancient Greek αὐλός (aulós), Lithuanian avilỹs. Same metathesis seen in parvus - παῦρος (paûros). For the semantics compare Old Armenian փոր (pʻor, “cavity, hollow; belly”).

• Or from Proto-Italic *alwos, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- (“to nourish”) + *-wós.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈal.u̯us/, [ˈäɫ̪u̯ʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈal.vus/, [ˈälvus]

Noun

alvus f (genitive alvī); second declension

1. belly, bowels, paunch; excrement; flux, diarrhoea
2. stomach, digestive organs
3. womb; matrix (of a fruit)
4. womb
5. hollow, cavity
6. hold or hull of a ship or boat
7. beehive

Declension

Second-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	alvus	alvī
Genitive	alvī	alvōrum
Dative	alvō	alvīs
Accusative	alvum	alvōs
Ablative	alvō	alvīs
Vocative	alve	alvī

Synonyms

• (beehive): alvārium, alveārium, alveus, apiārium, cavea, mellārium
• (hollow, cavity): alveus, cavea, cavum
• (hold or hull of a ship): alveus

Derived terms

• alvārium
• alvārius (New Latin)
• alveus

Related terms

• alveārium
• alveātus
• alveolātus
• alveolus

Descendants

• Italian: alvo (literary)
• ⇒ New Latin: alvīnus
  • → Catalan: alví (learned)
  • → English: alvine
  • → French: alvin (learned)
  • → Italian: alvino (learned)

References

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