balteus
English
Etymology
Latin balteus (“belt, girdle”)
Noun
balteus (plural baltei)
- (historical) The girdle of a biblical Jewish priest.
- (historical) A swordbelt worn by Roman legionaries.
- (architecture) An Ionic ornamental band encircling the pulvinus, or bolster of the capital.
- The subcinctorium, a papal garment.
Latin
Alternative forms
- balteum
Etymology
The term possibly derives from the word for “belt” in Etruscan, 𐌁𐌀𐌋𐌕𐌄𐌀 (baltea).
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈbal.te.us/, [ˈbäɫ̪t̪eʊs̠]
- (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈbal.te.us/, [ˈbäl̪t̪eus]
Noun
balteus m (genitive balteī); second declension
- A belt, girdle
- A sub-cinctorium, a papal garment.
Usage notes
- In the Old Testament, Exodus 39:29: A Jewish priest wore a balteus girdle: 3 or 4 fingers in breadth and (according to Rabbinic tradition) 32 ells long; it had to be embroidered after the same pattern and to be of the same colour as the curtain of the forecourt and the tabernacle of the covenant.
- A balteus (sword belt) was worn by the Roman legionary.
Declension
Second-declension noun.
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | balteus | balteī |
| Genitive | balteī | balteōrum |
| Dative | balteō | balteīs |
| Accusative | balteum | balteōs |
| Ablative | balteō | balteīs |
| Vocative | baltee | balteī |
Descendants
- Aromanian: baltsu
- Norwegian: belte
- Italian: balzo
- Old Occitan:
- Catalan: balç
- Occitan: baus
- Old Portuguese:
- Portuguese: balção, balso
- Romanian: balț
- → Proto-Germanic: *baltijaz (see there for further descendants)
- English: belt
- → Italian: balteo
- → Portuguese: bálteo
- → Spanish: bálteo
References
- “balteus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “balteus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
- balteus 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)
- balteus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette
- “balteus”, in The Perseus Project (1999) Perseus Encyclopedia
- “balteus”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898) Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
- “balteus”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890) A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin