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uter. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
uter, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
uter in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
uter you have here. The definition of the word
uter will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
uter, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Latin
Etymology 1
For *cuter, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷóteros, from *kʷos (“which”), ultimately from *kʷ-. Cognate with Ancient Greek πότερος (póteros, “which of the two”) and English whether.
Pronunciation
Adjective
uter (feminine utra, neuter utrum); first/second-declension adjective (nominative masculine singular in -er, pronominal)
- (interrogative) which (of two)?
68 BCE – 44 BCE,
Cicero,
Epistulae ad Atticum 15.20.3.2:
- Pompeium Carteia receptum scribis; iam igitur contra hunc exercitum. Utra ergo castra? Media enim tollit Antonius.
- 1999 translation by D. R. Shackleton Bailey
- You say that Pompey has been admitted into Carteia. So he’ll presently be bringing an army against Antony. Which camp then? For Antony is putting middle courses out of the question.
- (relative) whichever (of two)
- (indefinite) either, one or the other
Declension
First/second-declension adjective (nominative masculine singular in -er, pronominal).
Derived terms
type |
demonstrative |
anaphoric |
identity |
interrogative/ relative |
indefinite |
negative |
other
|
proximal |
medial |
distal |
relative |
indefinite |
free choice |
universal |
negative polarity
|
basic
|
hic |
iste, istic |
ille, illic |
is |
ipse, īdem |
quis/quī |
quisquis, quīcumque |
quis, quī, quīdam, aliquis, aliquī, quispiam |
quīvis, quīlibet |
quisque |
quisquam, ūllus, °aliquisquam |
nēmō, nihil, nūllus |
alius
|
dual
|
|
|
|
|
|
uter |
utercumque |
alteruter |
utervīs, uterlibet |
uterque |
|
neuter |
alter
|
place
|
hīc |
istīc |
illīc |
ibī̆ |
ibī̆dem |
ubī̆ |
ubiubi, ubī̆cumque |
alicubī, uspiam |
ubivīs, ubilibet |
ubīque |
usquam |
nusquam, nūllibī |
alibī, aliās
|
source
|
hinc |
istinc |
illinc |
inde |
indidem |
unde |
undecumque, undeunde |
alicunde |
°undelibet |
undique |
|
|
aliunde
|
destination
|
hūc, °hōrsum |
istūc, °istōrsum |
illūc, °illōrsum |
eō |
eōdem |
quō, quōrsum |
quōquō, quōcumque |
aliquō, quōpiam, °aliquōvorsum |
quōvīs, quōlibet |
|
quōquam |
nusquam, nūllōrsum |
aliō, aliōrsum
|
method, means, path, place
|
hāc |
istāc |
illāc |
eā |
eādem |
quā |
quāquā, quācumque |
aliquā |
quāvīs, quālibet |
quāque |
|
nēquāquam, haudquāquam |
aliā
|
manner
|
hōc modō |
istō modō |
illō modō |
ita, sīc, eō modō |
item, itidem |
ut, quī, quō modō, quōmodo, quemadmodum |
utut, utcumque, quōmodocumque |
quī, quōdam modō, aliquō modō |
quōmodolibet |
utīque |
ūllō modō |
nūllō modō |
aliter, aliōquī, alterō/aliō modō
|
time
|
num, nunc |
|
ōlim |
tum, tunc |
simul |
quandō, ‡cum |
cumque, quandōcumque, quandōque |
quondam, aliquandō |
quandōlibet |
quandōque |
umquam |
numquam |
aliās
|
quantity
|
|
|
|
tam |
†tamen, †tandem |
quam |
†quamquam |
aliquam |
quamvīs, quamlibet |
|
|
|
|
size
|
|
|
|
tantus |
tantusdem |
quantus |
quantuscumque |
aliquantus |
quantusvīs, quantuslibet |
|
|
|
|
quality
|
|
|
|
tālis |
|
quālis |
quālis, quāliscumque |
aliquālis |
quālislibet |
|
|
|
|
number
|
|
|
|
tot |
totidem |
quot |
quotquot, quotcumque |
aliquot |
quotlibet |
|
|
|
|
order
|
|
|
|
totus |
|
quotus |
quotuscumque |
aliquotus |
quotuslibet |
|
|
|
|
repetition
|
|
|
|
totiēns |
|
quotiēns |
quotiēnscumque |
aliquotiēns |
quotiēnslibet |
|
|
|
|
multiplication
|
|
|
|
totuplex |
|
quotuplex |
|
|
|
|
|
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† Turned conjunction with original meaning somewhat dissimulated ° Rare ‡only used as a conjunction, not as an interrogative
|
Etymology 2
For *udris, from Proto-Indo-European *wed- (“water”). Compare with Ancient Greek ὑδρία (hudría, “water-pot, pitcher”). Related to vitrum.
Pronunciation
Noun
uter m (genitive utris); third declension
- wine or water skin or bottle
- bag made of hide (inflated for flotation)
Declension
- Note: although the nominative and accusative plural was normally the masculine utrēs, the rare alternative neuter plural utria is also attested.
Third-declension noun (i-stem).
Derived terms
Descendants
References
- “uter”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “uter”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
- uter in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
- Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book, London: Macmillan and Co.
- (ambiguous) to offer a person the alternative of... or..: optionem alicui dare, utrum...an
- (ambiguous) it is a debated point whether... or..: in contentione ponitur, utrum...an
- “uter”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
- Sihler, Andrew L. (1995) New Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin, Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN
- Pokorny, Julius (1959) Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), Bern, München: Francke Verlag
- De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “uter”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 646-647
Old High German
Etymology
From Proto-Germanic *ūdarą, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ewHdʰr̥-, *h₁ówHdʰr̥, *h₁uHdʰr̥- (“udder”).
Noun
ūter m
- udder
Descendants
References
Romanian
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin uterus, French utérus.
Pronunciation
Noun
uter n (plural utere)
- (anatomy) uterus
Declension