asinus

Latin

Etymology

Usually compared to Ancient Greek ὄνος (ónos) (which cannot be its direct ancestor), and, just like other IE words for "ass", must be traced back to an unknown substrate source in Asia Minor (compare Hieroglyphic Luwian [script needed] (tarkasna), Sumerian 𒀲 (anšu)). The lack of rhotacism of the single intervocalic -s- after a short vowel would point to a recent borrowing.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈa.si.nus/, [ˈäs̠ɪnʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈa.si.nus/, [ˈäːs̬inus]

Noun

asinus m (genitive asinī); second declension

1. donkey, ass
3. (figuratively, humorous, derogatory) ass, cretin, idiot, dolt, blockhead (a slow-witted, inept person)

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:homo stultus

   • c. 191 BCE, Plautus, Pseudolus, act 1, scene 2:

     Neque egō hominēs magis asinōs umquam vīdī […] quōs quom feriās, tibi plūs noceās.

     I've never seen human beings who were more like asses […] When you hit them, you hurt yourself more.

   • 160 BCE, Publius Terentius Afer, Adelphoe :

     Quid tū autem huic, asine, auscultās?

     And why are you listening to him, you dolt?

   • c. 70 BCE, Cicero, In Pisonem, chapter 73:

     Quid nunc tē, asine, litterās doceam? Nōn opus est verbīs, sed fustibus.

     Must I now teach an ass like you to read? What you need isn't words but a cudgeling.

Declension

Second-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	asinus	asinī
Genitive	asinī	asinōrum
Dative	asinō	asinīs
Accusative	asinum	asinōs
Ablative	asinō	asinīs
Vocative	asine	asinī

Synonyms

• iūmentum (esp. used to pull carts)
• onager, onagrus (the wild ass)

Derived terms

• asellus
• asina
• asinārius
• asinīnus
• asinusca
• asinus asinum fricat
• asinus ad lyram
• asinus in tegulīs
• pōns asinōrum
• quī asinum nōn potest, strātum caedit
• sepultūrā asinī sepeliētur

Descendants

• Eastern Romance:
  • Romanian: asin, asân
• Insular Romance:
  • Sardinian: àinu
• Italo-Dalmatian:
  • Corsican: asinu
  • Italian: asino
  • Sicilian: àsinu
• Western Romance:
  • Gallo-Italian:
    • Emilian: esen, az, ase, aso
    • Lombard: asen, asne
    • Ligurian: âze
    • Piedmontese: aso, asi
    • Venetan: axèno
  • Gallo-Romance:
    • Old Franco-Provençal: asno
      • Franco-Provençal: âno
    • Old French: asne
      • Middle French: asne
        • French: âne
      • Norman: âne
      • Walloon: ågne
      • → Old Norse: asni (see there for further descendants)
  • Ibero-Romance:
    • Old Galician-Portuguese: asno
      • Galician: asno
      • Portuguese: asno
    • Old Spanish: asno
      • Spanish: asno
        • → Cebuano: asno
        • → Classical Nahuatl: axnoh
        • → Tagalog: asno
  • Occitano-Romance:
    • Catalan: ase
    • Old Occitan: asne
      • Occitan: ase
      • Gascon: aso, aine
      • Limousin: asne
      • Provençal: ai
  • Rhaeto-Romance:
  • Romansch: asen, asan, esan
• → Berber:
  • Tarifit: asnus
• → Proto-Celtic:
  • Proto-Brythonic:
    • Breton: azen
    • Old Cornish: asen
    • Welsh: asyn, asen
  • Old Irish: asan
    • Middle Irish: asan, assan
  • → Old English: assen, assa
    • Middle English: as, ass, asse
      • English: ass
• → Samoan: asini
• → Esperanto: azeno

Adjective

asinus (feminine asina, neuter asinum); first/second-declension adjective

1. (relational) ass, donkey
2. stupid, asinine

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

Number	Singular				Plural
Case / Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	asinus	asina	asinum		asinī	asinae	asina
Genitive	asinī	asinae	asinī		asinōrum	asinārum	asinōrum
Dative	asinō		asinō		asinīs
Accusative	asinum	asinam	asinum		asinōs	asinās	asina
Ablative	asinō	asinā	asinō		asinīs
Vocative	asine	asina	asinum		asinī	asinae	asina

References

• “asinus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “asinus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• asinus in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• asinus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• De Vaan, Michiel (2008) Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 57