gladius

English

Etymology

From Latin gladius (“Roman short sword, gladius”).

Noun

gladius (plural gladiuses or gladii)

1. (historical) A Roman sword roughly two feet long.
   • 1882, "The Genesis of the Sword", Popular Science Monthly, Volume 21, page 81:

     Finally, the Romans made the gladius—sharp, of highly-tempered steel, and strongly piercing—the first real sword (Figs. 17, 18, 19), of which only five specimens are now known to exist.

   • 2007, Pat Southern, The Roman Army: A Social and Institutional History, page 212:

     The gladius was effective either for cutting or for thrusting and was used by legionaries and auxiliaries.

2. (zoology) A pen, the internal skeleton of squid made of chitin-like material.

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Dutch

Etymology

Gladius.

From Latin gladius (“Roman short sword, gladius”).

Noun

gladius m (plural gladii, diminutive gladiusje)

1. Roman short sword; gladius

Hypernyms

• kortzwaard

See also

• spatha

Usage notes

Like many Dutch words borrowed from Latin, the plural takes the form of the Latin nominative plural.

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Latin

gladius (sword)

Etymology

Of Celtic origin, probably from Gaulish *kladyos (“sword”), from Proto-Celtic *kladiwos (“sword”), from Proto-Indo-European *kola-, *klā- (“to beat, break, kill”). Cognate with Old Irish claideb (“sword”), Welsh cleddyf (“sword”), Breton klezeñv (“sword”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA: /ˈɡla.di.us/

• Audio (Classical)

  (file)

Noun

gladius (genitive gladiī); m, second declension

1. sword

   Mitte gladium in vaginam.

   Put the sword into its sheath.

   In gladium incumbere.

   To fall on one's sword.

2. (figuratively) murder, death
3. a gladiatorial contest
4. swordfish

Inflection

Number	Singular	Plural
nominative	gladius	gladiī
genitive	gladiī	gladiōrum
dative	gladiō	gladiīs
accusative	gladium	gladiōs
ablative	gladiō	gladiīs
vocative	gladie	gladiī

Synonyms

• (sword): ēnsis, mūcrō, spatha
• (death): mors
• (swordfish): xiphiās

Derived terms

• gladiātor
• gladiātōriē
• gladiātōrium

• gladiātūra
• gladiolus

Descendants

• Dutch: gladius
• English: gladius, glaive
• French: glaive
• Portuguese: gládio
• Spanish: gladio