asinus

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Latin

Etymology

Usually compared to Ancient Greek ὄνος (ónos) (which cannot be its direct ancestor), and, just like other IE words for "ass", must be traced back to an unknown substrate source in Asia Minor (compare Hieroglyphic Luwian (tarkasna), Sumerian 𒀲 (anšu)). The lack of rhotacism of the single intervocalic -s- after a short vowel would point to a recent borrowing.[1]

Pronunciation

Noun

asinus m (genitive asinī); second declension

  1. donkey, ass
  2. (figuratively, humorous, derogatory) ass, cretin, idiot, dolt, blockhead (a slow-witted, inept person)
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:homo stultus
    • c. 191 BCE, Plautus, Pseudolus, act 1, scene 2:
      Neque egō hominēs magis asinōs umquam vīdī [] quōs quom feriās, tibi plūs noceās.
      I've never seen human beings who were more like asses When you hit them, you hurt yourself more.
    • 160 BCE, Publius Terentius Afer, Adelphoe :
      Quid tū autem huic, asine, auscultās?
      And why are you listening to him, you dolt?
    • c. 70 BCE, Cicero, In Pisonem, chapter 73:
      Quid nunc tē, asine, litterās doceam? Nōn opus est verbīs, sed fustibus.
      Must I now teach an ass like you to read? What you need isn't words but a cudgeling.

Declension

Second-declension noun.

singular plural
nominative asinus asinī
genitive asinī asinōrum
dative asinō asinīs
accusative asinum asinōs
ablative asinō asinīs
vocative asine asinī

Synonyms

Derived terms

Descendants

Adjective

asinus (feminine asina, neuter asinum); first/second-declension adjective

  1. (relational) ass, donkey
  2. stupid, asinine

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

References

  1. ^ De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “asinus”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 57

Further reading

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