baculum

English

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin baculum (“stick, staff, sceptre, cudgel”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbæk.jə.ləm/

Noun

baculum (plural baculums or bacula)

1. (zoology) A bone found in the penis of some placental mammals.

   Synonyms: os penis, penis bone, penile bone

   • 2018 January 24, Elsa Panciroli, The Guardian:

     Bacula can be straight rods, s-shaped curves, or even bizarre, flared scoops.

2. A small rod-like structure found in spores and pollen.
   • 1993, M. R. Saxena, Palynology: A Treatise, page 34:

     The sexine usually consists of two main parts, a partially or wholly covering layer — the tectum (roof) and below that the rods or rod-like elements — the bacules (baculum, columella).

Derived terms

• probaculum

Related terms

• argumentum ad baculum
• bacular
• bacule
• baculiform
• baculine

Translations

bone found in the penis of some mammals

• Afrikaans: penisbeen
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 陰莖骨 / 阴茎骨 (zh) (yīnjīnggǔ)

• Dutch: penisbot n, penisbeen n
• Estonian: peeniseluu
• Finnish: siitinluu
• French: baculum (fr) m, os pénien m
• German: Penisknochen m
• Icelandic: reðurbein n
• Japanese: 陰茎骨 (ja) (いんけいこつ, inkeikotsu)
• Korean: 음경골(陰莖骨) (eumgyeonggol)
• Norwegian: penisbein penisben
• Polish: bakulum (pl) n, kość prącia f
• Portuguese: báculo (pt) m
• Russian: ба́кулюм m (bákuljum)
• Spanish: báculo (es) m, hueso peniano m
• Swedish: penisben n

Dutch

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin baculum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /baː.ky.lʏm/
• Hyphenation: ba‧cu‧lum

Noun

baculum n (plural bacula, no diminutive)

1. penis bone

   Synonyms: penisbot, penisbeen

Latin

Alternative forms

• baculus (rare)
• vaclus (Late Latin, proscribed)

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *bak-(k)-elo-, of uncertain origin. Probably loaned from a non-Indo-European substrate substrate. The term is possibly cognate with Proto-Slavic *bokъ, Proto-Celtic *bakkos, Ancient Greek βάκτρον (báktron), and Proto-Germanic *pagil (English peg). Based on these forms, the Proto-Indo-European root *bak- has been reconstructed. The term could be construed as a derivative of Proto-Indo-European *bak-tlom, although De Vaan postulates a pre-form *bak-k(e)los. See also beccus, Ancient Greek βακτηρία (baktēría).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈba.kʊ.ɫũː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈbaː.ku.lum]

Noun

baculum n (genitive baculī); second declension

1. walking stick, cane, staff
2. sceptre, rod, verge (staff of office)
3. stick, cudgel
4. (Medieval Latin) a stick used as a symbol of warranty or in transfers of property
5. (Ecclesiastical Latin) a support, stay
6. (Ecclesiastical Latin) crosier
7. (zoology) a penis bone

Declension

Second-declension noun (neuter).

	singular	plural
nominative	baculum	bacula
genitive	baculī	baculōrum
dative	baculō	baculīs
accusative	baculum	bacula
ablative	baculō	baculīs
vocative	baculum	bacula

Derived terms

• bacillum, bacillus
• baculāris
• imbēcillus

Descendants

• Catalan: bàcul
• English: baculum
• French: bâcle
• Galician: bagoo (archaic), báculo (borrowing)
• Irish: bachall
• Italian: abbacchio, bacchio, bacolo
• → Portuguese: báculo (learned)
• Sardinian: baculu
• → Spanish: báculo (learned)
• → Welsh: bagl (“crook, staff”)

References

• “baculum”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “baculum”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “baculum”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• “baculum”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper’s Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “baculum”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin
• Niermeyer, Jan Frederik (1976), “baculus”, in Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden, Boston: E. J. Brill, page 76