umerus

Latin

Alternative forms

• humerus (rare in Classical texts)

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *h₃émsos (“shoulder”) by rhotacism and vowel anaptyxis -ms- > -mer-. Cognates include Ancient Greek ὦμος (ômos), Sanskrit अंस (áṃsa), and Gothic 𐌰𐌼𐍃 (ams).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈu.me.rus/, [ˈʊmɛrʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈu.me.rus/, [ˈuːmerus]

Noun

umerus m (genitive umerī); second declension

1. (anatomy) the humerus bone
2. shoulder (especially of a human)
3. back, ridge, such as of a mountain

Declension

Second-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	umerus	umerī
Genitive	umerī	umerōrum
Dative	umerō	umerīs
Accusative	umerum	umerōs
Ablative	umerō	umerīs
Vocative	umere	umerī

Descendants

• Balkan Romance:
  • Aromanian: anumir, numir, umir
  • Istro-Romanian: rumer, umer
  • Megleno-Romanian: numir
  • Romanian: umăr
• Ibero-Romance:
  • Aragonese: uembro
  • Asturian: hombru
  • Old Galician-Portuguese: ombro
    • Galician: ombro ⇒ ombreiro
    • Portuguese: ombro
  • Old Spanish: ombro
    • Spanish: hombro
• Italo-Romance:
  • Corsican: vomaru
  • Gallurese: umaru
  • Italian: omero
• Òc:
  • Gascon: ume, umbe, hume ⇒ humet
• Borrowings:
  • → Catalan: húmer
  • → English: humerus
  • → French: humérus
  • → Galician: úmero
  • → Portuguese: úmero
  • → Romanian: humerus
  • → Spanish: húmero

References

• “umerus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “umerus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• umerus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002) “hŭmĕrus”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, volume 4: G H I, page 510