caeruleus

Latin

Alternative forms

• caerulus

Etymology

Dissimilation of *caeluleus, derived from caelum (“sky, heaven”) +‎ -uleus (diminutive suffix).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /kae̯ˈru.le.us/, [käe̯ˈrʊɫ̪eʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /t͡ʃeˈru.le.us/, [t͡ʃeˈruːleus]

Adjective

caeruleus (feminine caerulea, neuter caeruleum); first/second-declension adjective

1. Having the color of the sky; blue or greenish-blue; cerulean, azure
   1. Dyed or colored blue
      1. (particularly) Colored with woad
   2. Used as an epithet of sea and river deities or things connected with them
   3. (of serpents) Glossy greenish-blue
   4. (of persons) Blue-eyed
   5. Dark-colored, dusky, gloomy
      1. (of clouds and shadows)
      2. (of things in or associated with the underworld)
   6. (as a proper name) A spring and aqueduct at Rome
2. (rare) Of or connected with the sky, celestial

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

Number	Singular				Plural
Case / Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	caeruleus	caerulea	caeruleum		caeruleī	caeruleae	caerulea
Genitive	caeruleī	caeruleae	caeruleī		caeruleōrum	caeruleārum	caeruleōrum
Dative	caeruleō		caeruleō		caeruleīs
Accusative	caeruleum	caeruleam	caeruleum		caeruleōs	caeruleās	caerulea
Ablative	caeruleō	caeruleā	caeruleō		caeruleīs
Vocative	caerulee	caerulea	caeruleum		caeruleī	caeruleae	caerulea

Derived terms

• caerula
• caerulāns
• caeruleātus
• caeruleum

Descendants

• → English: cerulean
• → French: céruléen
• → Italian: ceruleo
• → Portuguese: cerúleo
• → Romanian: ceruleu
• → Spanish: cerúleo

See also

Colors in Latin · colōrēs (layout · text)

albus, candidus, subalbus, niveus, cēreus, marmoreus, eburneus, cānus, blancus (ML.)	glaucus, rāvus, pullus, cinereus, cinerāceus, plumbeus, grīseus (ML. or NL.)	niger, āter, piceus, furvus
ruber, rūbidus, rūfus, rubicundus, russus, rubrīcus, pūniceus, murrinus, mulleus; cocceus, coccīnus, badius	rutilus, armeniacus, aurantius, aurantiacus; fuscus, suffuscus, colōrius, cervīnus, spādīx, castaneus, aquilus, fulvus, brunneus (ML.)	flāvus, sufflāvus, flāvidus, fulvus, lūteus, gilvus, helvus, croceus, pallidus, blondinus (ML.)
galbus, galbinus, lūridus	viridis	prasinus
cȳaneus	caeruleus, azurīnus (ML.), caesius, blāvus (LL.)	glaucus; līvidus; venetus
violāceus, ianthinus, balaustīnus (NL.)	ostrīnus, amethystīnus	purpureus, ātropurpureus, roseus, rosāceus

References

• “caeruleus” on page 278 of the Oxford Latin Dictionary (2nd ed., 2012)

Further reading

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