paelex

Latin

Alternative forms

• pēlex
• pellex

Etymology

• Usually compared to Ancient Greek παλλᾰκή (pallakḗ, “concubine”), but phonological and other uncertainties exist.
• The variant pellex shows folk-etymological connection with pelliciō (“I allure”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈpae̯.leks/, [ˈpäe̯ɫ̪ɛks̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈpe.leks/, [ˈpɛːleks]

Noun

paelex f (genitive paelicis); third declension

1. concubine of a married man, mistress

   Synonyms: amīca, pallaca, concubīna

2. male prostitute

Declension

Third-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	paelex	paelicēs
Genitive	paelicis	paelicum
Dative	paelicī	paelicibus
Accusative	paelicem	paelicēs
Ablative	paelice	paelicibus
Vocative	paelex	paelicēs

Derived terms

• pēlicātus

References

• “paelex”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “paelex”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• paelex in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.