spiculum
English
Etymology
From Latin spīculum (“a little sharp point”), from spīcum, alternative form of spīca (“point, spike”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈspɪkjʊləm/
Noun
spiculum (plural spicula)
- A thrusting javelin used by Romans that replaced the pilum in the late 3rd century.
- A sharp, pointed crystal, especially of ice.
- (zoology) A sharp, needle-like structure, especially those making up the skeleton of a sponge.
- (astronomy) A small radial emission of gas seen in the chromosphere and corona of the sun.
Synonyms
- (sharp, pointed crystal): spicula
- (sharp, needle-like strucutre): spicule
- (small radial emission of gas): spicule
Latin
Etymology
From spīcum (“point, spike”, alternative form of spīca) + -ulum (diminutive suffix).
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈspiː.ku.lum/, [ˈs̠piːkʊɫ̪ʊ̃ˑ]
- (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈspi.ku.lum/, [ˈspiːkulum]
Noun
spīculum n (genitive spīculī); second declension
- little sharp point or sting
- dart, arrow
Declension
Second-declension noun (neuter).
Case | Singular | Plural |
---|---|---|
Nominative | spīculum | spīcula |
Genitive | spīculī | spīculōrum |
Dative | spīculō | spīculīs |
Accusative | spīculum | spīcula |
Ablative | spīculō | spīculīs |
Vocative | spīculum | spīcula |
Descendants
- Italo-Romance:
- Italian: spicchio (“wedge, clove”), spigolo (“corner, edge”)
- Gallo-Romance:
- ⇒ Picard: épillon (“bee's stinger, barb”)
- Occitano-Romance:
- Catalan: espígol (“lavender”)
- ⇒ Gascon: arrespilh (“piece of wood for patching containers”)
- Ibero-Romance:
- Aragonese: espligo (“lavender”)
- → Spanish: espliego
- Galician: esprego (“lavender”)
- → Basque: izpiliku
- Aragonese: espligo (“lavender”)
- Borrowings:
- → English: spicule, spiculum
- → French: spicule
- → Portuguese: spículo
From spīcula (plural):
- Italo-Romance:
- Corsican: spigula (“tap, spigot”)
- Tuscan: specchia (Sillano)
- North Italian:
- Ladin: spigola (“comb for flax”)
- Piedmontese: spigula (Alpine)
- Gallo-Romance: (with the sense of 'pin')
- Gallo: épille
- Norman: épile
- Old French: espille
- Picard: épieule, épiule
References
- Joan Coromines; José A. Pascual (1984), “espliego”, in Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico (in Spanish), volume II (Ce–F), Madrid: Gredos, →ISBN, page 750
- Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002), “spīcŭlum”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), volume 12: Sk–š, page 176
Further reading
- “spiculum”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “spiculum”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
- spiculum in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette
- “spiculum”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890) A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin