pecus

Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *peḱu- (“livestock, domestic animals”). Cognates include Sanskrit पशु (páśu, “cattle”), Old Armenian ասր (asr, “fleece”), Old Saxon fehu, Old English feoh, Old Norse fé, Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌹𐌷𐌿 (faihu) and Lithuanian pēkus (“cattle”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA: /ˈpe.kus/

• Audio (Classical)

  (file)

Noun

pecus (genitive pecudis); f, third declension

1. sheep
2. cattle

Inflection

Number	Singular	Plural
nominative	pecus	pecudēs
genitive	pecudis	pecudum
dative	pecudī	pecudibus
accusative	pecudem	pecudēs
ablative	pecude	pecudibus
vocative	pecus	pecudēs

Noun

pecus (genitive pecoris); n, third declension

1. cattle (collectively)
2. herd

Inflection

Number	Singular	Plural
nominative	pecus	pecora
genitive	pecoris	pecorum
dative	pecorī	pecoribus
accusative	pecus	pecora
ablative	pecore	pecoribus
vocative	pecus	pecora

Descendants

• Italian: pecora
• Portuguese: pécora
• Sicilian: pècura
• Spanish: pécora

References

• pecus1 in Charlton T. Lewis & Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1879
• pecus2 in Charlton T. Lewis & Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1879
• pecus3 in Charlton T. Lewis & Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1879