-culus

See also: culus

Latin

Etymology

Rebracketing of diminutive suffix -lus on nouns ending in -cus, used freely.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ku.lus/, [kʊɫ̪ʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ku.lus/, [kulus] (stressed on the antepenult (third-to-last syllable); e.g., māsculus /ˈmaːs.ku.lus/)

Suffix

-culus (feminine -cula, neuter -culum); first/second-declension suffix

1. Alternative form of -ulus; added to a noun to form a diminutive of that noun.

   ‎clāvis (“key”) + ‎-culus → ‎clāvicula (“little key”)

   ‎ōs (“mouth”) + ‎-culus → ‎ōsculum (“little mouth”)

   ‎mās + ‎-culus → ‎māsculus

   ‎sermō + ‎-culus → ‎sermunculus (“rumor; small talk”)

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

Number	Singular				Plural
Case / Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	-culus	-cula	-culum		-culī	-culae	-cula
Genitive	-culī	-culae	-culī		-culōrum	-culārum	-culōrum
Dative	-culō		-culō		-culīs
Accusative	-culum	-culam	-culum		-culōs	-culās	-cula
Ablative	-culō	-culā	-culō		-culīs
Vocative	-cule	-cula	-culum		-culī	-culae	-cula

Derived terms

Latin terms suffixed with -culus

• -unculus (rebracketing)