cuculus

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See also: Cuculus

Latin

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cucūlus (a cuckoo)

Etymology

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Echoic of the male bird's mating cry, similar to English cuckoo, Ancient Greek κόκκυξ (kókkux), Middle Irish cuach, Polish kukułka, Sanskrit कोकिल (kokila), Finnish kukkua.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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cucūlus m (genitive cucūlī); second declension

  1. cuckoo (bird)
  2. a term of reproach (specifically a cuckold)

Declension

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Second-declension noun.

Case Singular Plural
Nominative cucūlus cucūlī
Genitive cucūlī cucūlōrum
Dative cucūlō cucūlīs
Accusative cucūlum cucūlōs
Ablative cucūlō cucūlīs
Vocative cucūle cucūlī
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Descendants

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  • Asturian: cuquiellu
  • Catalan: cugul, >? cucut
  • French: coucou
  • Italian: cuculo
  • Sicilian: cuccu
  • Norman: coucou
  • Spanish: cuco

References

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  • cuculus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • cuculus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.