asinus

Latin

Etymology

Recent loanword, as shown by intact intervocalic -s- which otherwise rhotacized to -r- in native words. Formally incompatible with Ancient Greek ὄνος (ónos). Just like other IE words for "ass", asinus traces back to an unknown substrate source in Asia Minor (compare Hieroglyphic Luwian tarkasna, Sumerian 𒀲 (anšu), Old Armenian էշ (ēš)).

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. a donkey, an ass
   • c. 191 BCE, Plautus, Pseudolus, act 1, scene 2:

     Neque ego homines magis asinos umquam vidi.

     At no time did I ever see human beings more like asses.

2. (figuratively) an ass, an idiot, a dolt, a simpleton, a blockhead
   • 160 BCE, Publius Terentius Afer, Adelphoe :

     Quid tu autem huic, asine, auscultas?

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

     Quid nunc te, asine, litteras doceam? Non opus est verbis, sed fustibus.

     Why should I now teach you letters, idiot? I want not for words but instead cudgels.

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

• iumentum (when used to pull carts)

Hypernyms

• iumenta (when used to pull carts)

Derived terms

• asellus
• asina
• asinīnus
• pons asinorum (bridge of asses)
• qui asinum non potest, stratum caedit (he who cannot find the offender avenges himself on the innocent; literally: he who can't kill the donkey kills the saddle-blanket.)

• asinus in tegulis (of an odd appearance; literally: a donkey on roof tiles)
• asinus ad lyram (of an awkward man; literally: the donkey at the lyre)
• sepulturā asini sepelietur (of a contemptible and unworthy man, that somebody will not merit any kind of burial; literally: he will be buried in a donkey's grave)

Descendants

• Franco-Provençal: âno
• Italian: asino
• Lombard: asen
• Ligurian: âze
• Old French: asne
  • Middle French: asne
    • French: âne
  • Norman: âne
  • Walloon: ågne
  • → Old Norse: asni (see there for further descendants)
• Old Occitan: asne
  • Catalan: ase
  • Occitan: asne
• Old Galician-Portuguese: asno
  • Galician: asno
  • Portuguese: asno
• Old Spanish:
  • Spanish: asno
    • → Cebuano: asno
    • → Classical Nahuatl: axnoh
    • → Tagalog: asno
• Romanian: asin, asân
• Romansch: asen, asan, esan
• Sardinian: àinu
• Sicilian: àsinu
• Venetian: àxeno
• → Proto-Celtic:
  • Proto-Brythonic:
    • Breton: azen
    • Old Cornish: asen
    • Welsh: asyn
  • Old Irish: asan
    • Middle Irish: asan, assan
  • → Old English: assen, assa
    • Middle English: as, ass, asse
      • English: ass
• → Samoan: asini

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