rotula

See also: rótula, rotulá, and ròtula

English

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin rotula. Doublet of role and roll.

Noun

rotula (plural rotulas or rotulae)

(anatomy) The patella; the kneecap.
(zoology) One of the five radial pieces in the dentary apparatus of the sea urchin.

Derived terms

rotular

Translations

kneecap — see kneecap

Anagrams

Alutor, LAUTRO, Latour, torula

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin rotula.

Noun

rotula f (plural rotule)

(anatomy) patella, kneecap, rotula

Derived terms

rotuleo

Anagrams

urlato

Latin

Pronunciation

(Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈro.tu.la/, [ˈrɔt̪ʊɫ̪ä]

(Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈro.tu.la/, [ˈrɔːt̪ulä]

Etymology 1

Diminutive from rota (“wheel”) +‎ -ulus.

Noun

rotula f (genitive rotulae); first declension

a small wheel; roll

Declension

First-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	rotula	rotulae
Genitive	rotulae	rotulārum
Dative	rotulae	rotulīs
Accusative	rotulam	rotulās
Ablative	rotulā	rotulīs
Vocative	rotula	rotulae

Alternative forms

rotulus

Descendants

Catalan: rotlle; → ròtula
Old French: role
- Middle French: rolle
  - French: rôle
    - → Catalan: rol
      - → Spanish: rol (“roll (list)”)
    - → English: role, rôle
      - → Spanish: rol (“role”)
    - → Norwegian Bokmål: rolle (partly; also through German)
    - → Norwegian Nynorsk: rolle (partly; also through German)
    - Portuguese: rolo
- → Middle Dutch: rolle
  - Dutch: rol
    - Afrikaans: rol
- → Middle English: rolle
  - English: roll
- → Middle High German: rolle, rulle
  - German: Rolle
    - → Norwegian Bokmål: rolle (partly; also through French)
    - → Norwegian Nynorsk: rolle (partly; also through French)
→ French: rotule
Galician: rolla, rolda; → rótula
→ Italian: rotula
Portuguese: rolha; → rótula
Spanish: rolla, rondala; → rótula

Etymology 2

From Arabic رَطْل‎ (raṭl); the form is influenced by etymology 1. Doublet of litra.

Noun

rotula f (genitive rotulae); first declension

(Medieval Latin) a rottol (any of various measures of dry or liquid weight originating in the Arab world)

Declension

First-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	rotula	rotulae
Genitive	rotulae	rotulārum
Dative	rotulae	rotulīs
Accusative	rotulam	rotulās
Ablative	rotulā	rotulīs
Vocative	rotula	rotulae

References

“rotula”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
rotula 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)
rotula in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette

Portuguese

Verb

rotula

inflection of rotular:
1. third-person singular present indicative
2. second-person singular imperative

Spanish

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /roˈtula/ [roˈt̪u.la]
Rhymes: -ula
Syllabification: ro‧tu‧la

Verb

rotula

inflection of rotular:
1. third-person singular present indicative
2. second-person singular imperative