poples
Latin
Etymology
Of uncertain origin[1]; proposed derivations include:
- From Proto-Indo-European *pal- (“to feel, touch, shake”), a root common to Latin papiliō (“butterfly”) and palpō (“I touch softly”).
- From Proto-Indo-European *kʷekʷlóm, *kʷékʷlos, *kʷékʷléh₂. Cognates include English wheel, Ancient Greek κύκλος (kúklos, “wheel”) and Tocharian B kokale (“cart, wagon”). For the semantic shift compare Spanish rodilla (“knee”) from roda (“wheel”).
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈpo.ples/, [ˈpɔ.pɫɛs]
Noun
poples m (genitive poplitis); third declension
- (literally) the ham of the knee, the hough, the hock
- (transferred sense, in general) the knee
Declension
Third declension.
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | poples | poplitēs |
| Genitive | poplitis | poplitum |
| Dative | poplitī | poplitibus |
| Accusative | poplitem | poplitēs |
| Ablative | poplite | poplitibus |
| Vocative | poples | poplitēs |
Synonyms
- (anatomy) (the ham of the knee): suffrāgō
- (the knee itself): genū
Derived terms
- popliteus (New Latin)
Descendants
- English: poplit
- French: poplité
- Italian: poplite
- Portuguese: póplite
References
- poplĕs in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- poples in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
- pŏplĕs in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Hachette, page 1,201/1
- Walde, Alois; Hofmann, Johann Baptist (1954), “poples”, in Lateinisches etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), volume 2, 3rd edition, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, page 358