agnus

Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *agʷnos, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂egʷnós (“lamb”).

Cognates include Ancient Greek ἀμνός (amnós), Old Church Slavonic агнѧ (agnę), Old English ēanian (English yean), and Albanian enjë.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈaɡ.nus/,
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈaɲ.ɲus/,

• Audio (educated guess for Classical)

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Noun

agnus m (genitive agnī); second declension

1. a lamb, especially one used as a sacrifice

   Agnus absque maculā.

   A lamb without blemish.

   Villa abundat porco, haedo, agno.

   The farm abounds in pigs, young goats and lambs.

   Ecce Agnus Dei.

   Behold the Lamb of God.

Declension

Second-declension noun (contracted genitive plural).

¹Contraction found in poetry.

Derived terms

Descendants

• Galician: año
• Italian: agno
• Neapolitan: àino
• Old French: agne, aigne, ainne
• Portuguese: anho
• Sicilian: aiuno, avuno, amuno (Calabrian)
• Catalan: anyell

References

• “agnus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “agnus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• agnus 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)
• agnus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• agnus in Ramminger, Johann (2016 July 16 (last accessed)) Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700‎, pre-publication website, 2005-2016
• “agnus” on page 97/2 of the Oxford Latin Dictionary (2nd ed., 2012)
• Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002) “agnus”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), volumes 24: Refonte A–Aorte, page 266
• Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1911) “agnus”, in Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), page 19

Lithuanian

Etymology

A verbal adjective from an unattested root *ag- ("to drive"), paralleled by Old Irish án (“quick”) < *ag-nos, Sanskrit अजिर (ajirá-, “agile, quick”). Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ- (“to drive”); compare Old Irish aigid, Sanskrit अजति (ajati). The Lithuanian form appears to have undergone depalatalization before the nasal.

The connection with Russian яглый (jaglyj, “active, energetic”) is rejected by Vasmer.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ɐɡˈnʊs/

Adjective

agnùs m (feminine agnì, neuter agnù) stress pattern 4

1. (Samogitian) agile, energetic

Declension

Derived terms

• agnumas
• agniai

References

Further reading

• “agnus”, in Lietuvių kalbos žodynas [Dictionary of the Lithuanian language], lkz.lt, 1941–2024
• “agnus”, in Dabartinės lietuvių kalbos žodynas [Dictionary of contemporary Lithuanian], ekalba.lt, 1954–2024