caecus

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Latin

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *kaikos (“blind, eyeless”), from Proto-Indo-European *kéh₂ikos (“one-eyed”). Cognates include Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌹𐌷𐍃 (haihs), Old Irish cáech (“one-eyed”), caoch (“blind”).

Pronunciation

Adjective

caecus (feminine caeca, neuter caecum); first/second-declension adjective

  1. blind
    1. (literally) blind (not seeing)
    2. (figuratively) blind, blinded (mentally or morally)
    3. (figuratively) blind, at random, vague, indiscriminate, aimless, meaningless, acting blindly
      • 29 BCE – 19 BCE, Virgil, Aeneid 4.209–210:
        “ caecīque in nūbibus ignēs / terrificant animōs et inānia murmura miscent?”
        “And aimless fires in the clouds terrify spirits, and meaningless murmurs unsettle ?”
        (King Iarbas dares to question whether lightning and thunder truly signify Jupiter’s disapproval of human affairs.)
    4. (transferred sense, botany) without buds or eyes
  2. invisible
    1. (literally) invisible (that cannot be seen)
    2. (figuratively) invisible, concealed, hidden, secret, obscure, dark (that cannot be known)
  3. opaque, dark, uncertain
    1. (literally) opaque (that obstructs sight; not transparent)
    2. (figuratively) dark, gloomy, thick, dense, obscure; uncertain, doubtful (that obstructs perception)

Inflection

First/second-declension adjective.

Number Singular Plural
Case / Gender Masculine Feminine Neuter Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative caecus caeca caecum caecī caecae caeca
Genitive caecī caecae caecī caecōrum caecārum caecōrum
Dative caecō caecō caecīs
Accusative caecum caecam caecum caecōs caecās caeca
Ablative caecō caecā caecō caecīs
Vocative caece caeca caecum caecī caecae caeca

Derived terms

Descendants

Descendants
  • Aragonese: ziego
  • Asturian: ciegu
  • → English: caecum
  • Old French: cieu, ciu, cé, ci
  • → French: cæcum
  • Italian: cieco
  • Northern Italo-Romance:
    • Romagnol: cig (San Marino)
  • Old Occitan:
  • Old Galician-Portuguese: cego
  • Romanian: ceață
  • Sardinian:
  • Old Spanish: ciego

References

  • “caecus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • “caecus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • caecus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
  • Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎, London: Macmillan and Co.
    • Fortune makes men shortsighted, infatuates them: fortuna caecos homines efficit, animos occaecat
    • (ambiguous) to have no principles: caeco impetu ferri
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