Avernus
English
Etymology
Latin Avernus, from Ancient Greek ἄορνος (áornos), ἄϝορνος (áwornos, “birdless”), from ἀ- (a-, “without”) + ὄρνις (órnis, “bird”). The lack of birds was likely due to fatal gases like carbon dioxide seeping from the volcanically active lake.
Proper noun
Avernus
- The entrance to Hell or the underworld, or the underworld itself.
- A lake in Southern Italy.
Translations
underworld — see underworld
lake in Italy
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Latin
Etymology
Ancient Greek ἄορνος (áornos), ἄϝορνος (áwornos, “birdless”), from ἀ- (a-, “without”) + ὄρνις (órnis, “bird”). The lack of birds was likely due to fatal gases like carbon dioxide seeping from the volcanically active lake.
View of the lake
Proper noun
Avernus m (genitive Avernī); second declension
- Avernus (lake in Southern Italy)
- The underworld
Inflection
Second declension, with locative.
| Case | Singular |
|---|---|
| Nominative | Avernus |
| Genitive | Avernī |
| Dative | Avernō |
| Accusative | Avernum |
| Ablative | Avernō |
| Vocative | Averne |
| Locative | Avernī |
Derived terms
- Avernālis
Descendants
- English: Avernus
- Italian: Averno
References
- Avernus in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- Avernus in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
- Avernus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Hachette