Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
serenus. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
serenus, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
serenus in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
serenus you have here. The definition of the word
serenus will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
serenus, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Latin
Etymology
Uncertain, but perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *kseresnos, related to *kseros (“dry”), whence perhaps also serēscō (“to become dry”). See also Ancient Greek ξηρός (xērós), Sanskrit क्षार (kṣārá).[1][2]
Pronunciation
Adjective
serēnus (feminine serēna, neuter serēnum, adverb serēnē); first/second-declension adjective
- Clear, fair, bright, serene, tranquil.
- That clears the sky or brings fair weather.
- (figuratively) Cheerful, glad, joyous, bright; clear, fair, calm, placid, serene
29 BCE – 19 BCE,
Virgil,
Aeneid 2.285–286:
- “‘ Quae causa indigna serēnōs / foedāvit voltūs? .’”
- “‘What shameful cause disfigured your serene face?’”
(Aeneas dreams he is speaking to the dead and disfigured Hector. The Latin plural “serenos voltus,” here translated as English singular, implies a heroic character which projects steadfast calm despite changing circumstances.)
Declension
First/second-declension adjective.
Derived terms
Descendants
References
- ^ De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “serēnus”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 556
- ^ The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Clarendon Press, 1989.
Further reading
- “serenus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “serenus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
- serenus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
- “serenus”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers