postilena

Latin

FWOTD – 21 August 2018

Etymology

post- +‎ habēna.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /pos.tiˈleː.na/, [pɔs̠t̪ɪˈɫ̪eːnä]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /pos.tiˈle.na/, [post̪iˈlɛːnä]

Noun

postilēna f (genitive postilēnae); first declension

1. crupper (contrivance to keep a saddle from sliding forward)

   Antonym: antilēna

   • c. 180 BCE, Plautus, Casina 124–125:

     Ita te aggerunda curvom aqua faciam probe
     ut postilena possit ex te fieri.

     I’ll make you so thoroughly bent with carrying water that a crupper might be manufactured out of you.

Declension

First-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	postilēna	postilēnae
Genitive	postilēnae	postilēnārum
Dative	postilēnae	postilēnīs
Accusative	postilēnam	postilēnās
Ablative	postilēnā	postilēnīs
Vocative	postilēna	postilēnae

Descendants

• Italian: pósola, posolina
• Sicilian: pistulena
• Venetian: pósena

References

• postilena in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.