agnus

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See also: Agnus

Latin[edit]

agnus (a lamb)

Etymology[edit]

From Proto-Italic *agʷnos, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂egʷnós (lamb).[1]

Cognates include Ancient Greek ἀμνός (amnós), Old Church Slavonic агнѧ (agnę), Old English ēanian (English yean), and Albanian enjë.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

agnus m (genitive agnī); second declension

  1. a lamb, especially one used as a sacrifice
    Agnus absque maculā.
    A lamb without blemish.
    Villa abundat porco, haedo, agno.
    The farm abounds in pigs, young goats and lambs.
    Ecce Agnus Dei.
    Behold the Lamb of God.

Declension[edit]

Second-declension noun (contracted genitive plural).

Case Singular Plural
Nominative agnus agnī
Genitive agnī agnōrum
agnum1
Dative agnō agnīs
Accusative agnum agnōs
Ablative agnō agnīs
Vocative agne agnī

1Contraction found in poetry.

Derived terms[edit]

Descendants[edit]

  • Galician: año
  • Italian: agno
  • Neapolitan: àino
  • Old French: agne, aigne, ainne
  • Portuguese: anho
  • Sicilian: aiuno, avuno, amuno (Calabrian)
  • Catalan: anyell

References[edit]

  1. ^ De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “agnus”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 30

Lithuanian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

A verbal adjective from an unattested root *ag- ("to drive"), paralleled by Old Irish án (quick) < *ag-nos, Sanskrit अजिर (ajirá-, agile, quick). Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ- (to drive); compare Old Irish aigid, Sanskrit अजति (ajati). The Lithuanian form appears to have undergone depalatalization before the nasal.[1]

The connection with Russian яглый (jaglyj, active, energetic) is rejected by Vasmer.[2]

Pronunciation[edit]

IPA(key): /ɐɡˈnʊs/

Adjective[edit]

agnùs m (feminine agnì, neuter agnù) stress pattern 4

  1. (Samogitian) agile, energetic

Declension[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Jurij Vladimirovič Otkupščikov (1967) Iz istorii indojevropejskovo slovoobrazovanija [From the History of Indo-European Word Formation], page 227
  2. ^ Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “яглый”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress

Further reading[edit]

  • agnus”, in Lietuvių kalbos žodynas [Dictionary of the Lithuanian language], lkz.lt, 1941–2024
  • agnus”, in Dabartinės lietuvių kalbos žodynas [Dictionary of contemporary Lithuanian], ekalba.lt, 1954–2024