caecus

Latin

Alternative forms

• coecus (misspelling)
• cēcus (in manuscripts)

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *kaikos (“blind, eyeless”), from Proto-Indo-European *kéh₂ikos (“one-eyed”). Cognates include Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌹𐌷𐍃 (haihs), Old Irish cáech (“one-eyed”), caoch (“blind”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈkae̯.kus/, [ˈkäe̯kʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃe.kus/, [ˈt͡ʃɛːkus]

Adjective

caecus (feminine caeca, neuter caecum); first/second-declension adjective

1. Having no light, devoid of light.
2. (active voice):
   1. (literally) Not seeing, blind.
   2. (figurative) Mentally or morally blind; blinded.
   3. (figurative) Blind, i.e. at random, vague, indiscriminate, aimless, meaningless, acting blindly
      • 29 BCE – 19 BCE, Virgil, Aeneid 4.209–210:

        “[...] caecīque in nūbibus ignēs / terrificant animōs et inānia murmura miscent?”

        “And [why do] aimless fires in the clouds terrify [our] spirits, and [their] meaningless murmurs unsettle [us]?”
        (King Iarbas dares to question whether lightning and thunder truly signify Jupiter’s disapproval of human affairs.)

   4. (transferred sense, botany) Without buds or eyes.
3. (passive voice):
   1. (literally) That cannot be seen.
   2. (figurative) That cannot be known; invisible, concealed, hidden, secret, obscure, dark.
4. (neutral voice):
   1. (literally) That obstructs the sight; not transparent, opaque.
   2. (figurative) That obstructs the perception; dark, gloomy, thick, dense, obscure; uncertain, doubtful.

Inflection

First/second-declension adjective.

Number	Singular				Plural
Case / Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	caecus	caeca	caecum		caecī	caecae	caeca
Genitive	caecī	caecae	caecī		caecōrum	caecārum	caecōrum
Dative	caecō		caecō		caecīs
Accusative	caecum	caecam	caecum		caecōs	caecās	caeca
Ablative	caecō	caecā	caecō		caecīs
Vocative	caece	caeca	caecum		caecī	caecae	caeca

Derived terms

• caecum (noun)
• caecutiō

Related terms

• caecitās
• Caecilius

Descendants

Descendants of caecus in other languages

• Aragonese: ziego
• Asturian: ciegu
• → English: caecum
• Old French: cieu, ciu, cé, ci
• → French: cæcum
• Italian: cieco
• Northern Italo-Romance:
  • Romagnol: cig (San Marino)
• Old Occitan:
  • Catalan: cec
  • Occitan: cèc
• Old Galician-Portuguese: cego
  • Galician: cego
  • Portuguese: cego
• Romanian: ceață
• Sardinian:
  • Campidanese: tzegu
  • Logudorese: tzegu
  • Nuorese: tzecu
• Old Spanish: ciego
  • Spanish: ciego

References

• “caecus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• caecus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • Fortune makes men shortsighted, infatuates them: fortuna caecos homines efficit, animos occaecat
    
  • (ambiguous) to have no principles: caeco impetu ferri