veretilla

Latin

Etymology

From veretrum (“penis; genitals”) +‎ -lus (diminutive suffix).

As it is first attested in Apuleius, it may have been a neologism coined by him, possibly intended as a translation of Greek βάλανος (bálanos, “glans, penis”), to refer to a type of shellfish that visually resembled a human penis.^[1]^[2]

Editors differ on whether the passage where this word occurs should be read with feminine singular accusative "veretillam" or neuter singular accusative "veretillum", or even neuter plural accusative "veretilla".^[3] If the feminine form "veretillam" is correct, there is a change in gender from the neuter base word veretrum. In principle, such gender changes may proceed by means of mistaking neuter plural forms such as veretra/veretilla for nominative feminine singular forms; however, per Adams, veretrum was generally used in the singular, unlike similar euphemisms such as verenda, verendōrum,^[4] so this may be a less likely route of gender change for this word than for others.

The vocalism in -ill- is uncommon for a diminutive built on a -ro-stem noun with assimilation of -rl- to -ll-: the expected formation would be in -ell-. Strodach suggests the form was possibly influenced by analogy with a diminutive pēnicillus, from pēniculus in the meaning "penis".^[5]

Pronunciation

(Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /u̯e.reˈtil.la/, [u̯ɛrɛˈt̪ɪlːʲä]
(modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ve.reˈtil.la/, [vereˈt̪ilːä]

Noun

veretilla f (genitive veretillae); first declension

name of some marine organism
- c. 125 CE – 180 CE, Apuleius, Apologia 34:
  et fortasse an peracute repperisse vobis videbamini, ut quaesisse me fingeretis ad illecebras magicas duo haec marina, veretillam et virginal; disce enim nomina rerum Latina, quae propterea varie nominai, ut denuo instructus accuses

Usage notes

The gender and declension of this word is uncertain (see "Etymology" above) due to different editorial interpretations of the form found in Apuleius. Thus, the true form might instead be neuter veretillum.

Declension

First-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	veretilla	veretillae
Genitive	veretillae	veretillārum
Dative	veretillae	veretillīs
Accusative	veretillam	veretillās
Ablative	veretillā	veretillīs
Vocative	veretilla	veretillae

References

^ Costantini, Leonardo (2019) Magic in Apuleius’ Apologia: Understanding the charges and the forensic strategies in Apuleius’ speech, 6.3 "Obscene Molluscs: Association through Name Similarity", page 112, citing Abt, Adam (1908), Die Apologie des Apuleius von Madaura und die antike Zauberei
^ Baldissone, Riccardo (2015) "Speech and Graphomena: The Power of Apuleius' Words in Court and in Translation", page 444
^ Weinhold, A. (1886) "Genuswechsel der Diminutiva", Archiv für lateinische Lexikographie und Grammatik, page 188
^ Adams, J.N. (1982) The Latin Sexual Vocabulary, page 52
^ "Latin Diminutives in -Ello/A- and -Illo/A-: A Study in Diminutive Formation." George Kleppinger Strodach. Language, Vol. 9, No. 1, Language Dissertation No. 14 (Mar., 1933), pp. 7-98. Linguistic Society of America, http://www.jstor.org/stable/522000 page 66