pulcher

Latin

Alternative forms

• pulcer

Etymology

Uncertain. Possibly from earlier polcher, which according to Walde-Hoffman and Pokorny reflects Proto-Indo-European *perḱ- (“motley, variegated”), with dissimilation *perḱ-ro-s > *pelḱ-ro-s. De Vaan rejects that connection as both irregular and semantically incompatible, and assigns no etymology.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA: /ˈpul.kʰer/

• Audio (Classical)

  (file)

Adjective

pulcher m (feminine pulchra, neuter pulchrum); first/second declension

1. beautiful, fair
2. (figuratively) noble, honorable, excellent
3. (substantive) beauty

Inflection

Number	Singular				Plural
Case \ Gender	M.	F.	N.		MM.	FF.	NN.
nominative	pulcher	pulchra	pulchrum		pulchrī	pulchrae	pulchra
genitive	pulchrī	pulchrae	pulchrī		pulchrōrum	pulchrārum	pulchrōrum
dative	pulchrō	pulchrae	pulchrō		pulchrīs	pulchrīs	pulchrīs
accusative	pulchrum	pulchram	pulchrum		pulchrōs	pulchrās	pulchra
ablative	pulchrō	pulchrā	pulchrō		pulchrīs	pulchrīs	pulchrīs
vocative	pulcher	pulchra	pulchrum		pulchrī	pulchrae	pulchra

• comparative: pulchrior, superlative: pulcherrimus

Derived terms

• pulchellus
• pulchrē
• pulchritūdō

Descendants

• Portuguese: pulcro
• Spanish: pulcro

References

• Michiel de Vaan, Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Brill, 2008, page 496