uter

See also: úter

Latin

Etymology 1

For *cuter, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷóteros, from *kʷos (“which”), ultimately from *kʷ-. See also Ancient Greek πότερος (póteros, “which of the two”) and English whether.

Pronunciation

(Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈu.ter/, [ˈʊt̪ɛr]

(Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈu.ter/, [ˈuːt̪er]

Adjective

uter (feminine utra, neuter utrum); first/second-declension adjective (nominative masculine singular in -er, pronominal)

either, which (of two)
both

Declension

First/second-declension adjective (nominative masculine singular in -er, pronominal).

Case / Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Number	Singular			Plural
Nominative	uter	utra	utrum	utrī	utrae	utra
Genitive	utrī̆us			utrōrum	utrārum	utrōrum
Dative	utrī			utrīs
Accusative	utrum	utram	utrum	utrōs	utrās	utra
Ablative	utrō	utrā	utrō	utrīs
Vocative	uter	utra	utrum	utrī	utrae	utra

Derived terms

alteruter
neuter
uterque
utrubi

Related terms

Latin correlatives ^(edit)

type	interrogative	indefinite	(medial) demonstrative	proximal demonstrative	distal demonstrative	relative	indefinite relative	identity	other
basic	quis, quī	quis, quī, quīdam, aliquis, aliquī, quisque, quisquam, aliquisquam, quispiam, ūllus	is, iste, istic	hic	ille, illic	quī	quisquis, quīcumque	ipse, īdem	alter, alius
dual	uter	alteruter, uterque				uter	utercumque
number	quot	aliquot	tot			quot	quotquot, quotcumque	totidem
order	quotus		totus			quotus	quotuscumque
quantity	quam	aliquam	tam			quam	†quamquam	†tamen, †tandem
size	quantus	aliquantus	tantus			quantus	quantuscumque	tantusdem
quality	quālis	aliquālis	tālis			quālis	quālis, quāliscumque
manner	ut, quī, quō modō, quōmodo, quemadmodum	utique, quī, quōdam modō, aliquō modō	ita, sic, eō/istō modō	hōc modō	illō modō	ut, quī, quō modō, quōmodo, quemadmodum	utut, utcumque, quōmodocumque	item, itidem	aliter, aliōquī, alterō/aliō modō
method, path, place	quā	aliquā, quāque	eā, istāc	hāc	illāc	quā	quāquā, quācumque	eādem	aliā
place	ubi	alicubi, ubique, usquam, uspiam	ibi, istic	hīc	illīc	ubi	ubiubi, ubicumque	ibidem	alibī, aliās
source	unde	alicunde, undeunde	inde, istinc	hinc	illinc	unde	undecumque	indidem	aliunde
destination	quō, quōrsum	aliquō, quōquam, quōpiam, °aliquōvorsum	eō, istūc, °istōrsum	hūc, °hōrsum	illūc, °illōrsum	quō	quōquō, quōcumque	eōdem	aliō, aliorsum
time	quandō	quondam, aliquandō, quandōque, umquam	tum, tunc	num, nunc	ōlim	cum, quandō	cumque, quandōcumque, quandōque	simul	aliās
exact time	quota hōra		ea/ista hōra	hac hōra	illa hōra	quota hōra	quotacumque hōra	eadem hōra	altera/alia hōra
repetition	quotiēns	aliquotiēns	totiēns			quotiēns	quotiēnscumque
multiplication	quotuplex		totuplex			quotuplex
† Turned conjunction with original meaning somewhat dissimulated ° Rare

Etymology 2

For *udris, from Proto-Indo-European *wed- (“water”). Confer with Ancient Greek ὑδρία (hudría, “water-pot, pitcher”). Doublet of vitrum.

Pronunciation

(Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈu.ter/, [ˈʊt̪ɛr]

(Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈu.ter/, [ˈuːt̪er]

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).

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	uter	utrēs utria
Genitive	utris	utrium
Dative	utrī	utribus
Accusative	utrem	utrīs utrēs utria
Ablative	utre	utribus
Vocative	uter	utrēs

Derived terms

utriculus

Descendants

Aromanian: utri
Catalan: odre
→ French: outre
Galician: odre
Italian: otre
Piedmontese: oiro
Portuguese: odre
Spanish: odre

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

Alternative forms

ūtar, ūtaro, ūtiro

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *ūdarą, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ewHdʰr̥-, *h₁ówHdʰr̥, *h₁uHdʰr̥- (“udder”).

Noun

ūter n

udder

Descendants

Middle High German: ūter, iuter
- Cimbrian: autar
- German: Euter
- Luxembourgish: Auder

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin uterus, French utérus.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ˈu.ter]

Noun

uter n (plural utere)

(anatomy) uterus

Declension

Declension of uter

	singular		plural
	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) uter	uterul	(niște) utere	uterele
genitive/dative	(unui) uter	uterului	(unor) utere	uterelor
vocative	uterule		uterelor