Gnaeus
Latin
Etymology
Probably the same word as naevus (“bithmark, mole”), as first proposed by Festus and commonly accepted by modern scholars. Chase cites the archaic spelling Gnaivos in support of this explanation.[1][2]
Alternative forms
- Gneus
- Cn. (abbreviation)
- Cnaeus, Cneus (archaic/archaizing)
Pronunciation
- (Classical Latin) IPA(key): /ˈɡnae̯.us/, [ˈŋnäe̯ʊs̠]
- (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈɲe.us/, [ˈɲɛːus]
- Note: the word is scanned with the first heavy syllable in its only two occurrences in verse by Terentianus Maurus. It's unclear whether this was the only pronunciation and what unspelled glide filled the hiatus after the diphthong, but it's etymologically likely that it was /w/ - spelling double VV as single was a common practice.
Proper noun
Gnaeus m (genitive Gnaeī); second declension
- A masculine praenomen.
Usage notes
- 1876, "C" in the Encyclopædia Britannica, 9th ed., Vol. IV, page 616:
Declension
Second-declension noun.
Case | Singular | Plural |
---|---|---|
Nominative | Gnaeus | Gnaeī |
Genitive | Gnaeī | Gnaeōrum |
Dative | Gnaeō | Gnaeīs |
Accusative | Gnaeum | Gnaeōs |
Ablative | Gnaeō | Gnaeīs |
Vocative | Gnaee | Gnaeī |
Descendants
References
Further reading
- “Gnaeus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “Gnaeus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
- Gnaeus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.