teruncius
English
Etymology
Latin teruncius
Noun
teruncius (plural teruncii)
- (historical) An ancient Roman coin worth one quarter of an as.
Latin
| ← 3 | IV 4 | 5 → |
|---|---|---|
| Cardinal: quattuor Ordinal: quārtus Adverbial: quater Multiplier: quadruplex, quadruplus Distributive: quadrīnī, quaternī Fractional: quadrāns, teruncius | ||
Alternative forms
- terrū̆ncius
Etymology
Substantivisation of the otherwise-unattested adjective *teruncius (“of three twelfths”) in elliptical use for the phrase nummus teruncius (“a three-twelfths coin”), the adjective deriving from ter (“thrice”) + uncia (“a twelfth”) + -us (suffix forming adjectives).
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /teˈruːn.ki.us/, [t̪ɛˈruːŋkiʊs̠] or IPA(key): /teˈrun.ki.us/, [t̪ɛˈrʊŋkiʊs̠]
- (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /teˈrun.t͡ʃi.us/, [t̪eˈrun̠ʲt͡ʃius]
Noun
terū̆ncius m (genitive terū̆nciī or terū̆ncī); second declension
- a bronze coin valued at three unciae or one-quarter of an as, a “farthing”
- (transferred sense) something of negligible value, a trifle
- (of inheritances, in the phrase ex terunciō) a fourth part, a quarter
Declension
Second-declension noun.
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | terū̆ncius | terū̆nciī |
| Genitive | terū̆nciī terū̆ncī1 | terū̆nciōrum |
| Dative | terū̆nciō | terū̆nciīs |
| Accusative | terū̆ncium | terū̆nciōs |
| Ablative | terū̆nciō | terū̆nciīs |
| Vocative | terū̆ncie | terū̆nciī |
1Found in older Latin (until the Augustan Age).
Synonyms
- (bronze coin worth ³⁄₁₂ of an as): quadrāns
- (trifle): gerrae pl, naucum, pilus
- (quarter): quarta
Derived terms
- terunciolus (New Latin)
References
- “teruncĭus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- tĕruncĭus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette, page 1,562/1
- “terruncius (teruncius)” on page 1,929/3 of the Oxford Latin Dictionary (1st ed., 1968–82)
Further reading
Teruncius (coin) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia - Teruncius (nummus) on the Latin Wikipedia.Wikipedia la