genu

See also: ĝenu

English

Etymology

PIE word
*ǵónu

Borrowed from Latin genu (“knee”).

Noun

genu (plural genua)

1. (anatomy, zoology) knee
2. A knee-like bend.

Derived terms

• genual
• genuflect

Anagrams

• Egun

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Latin

Etymology

PIE word
*ǵónu

From Proto-Italic *genū, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵónu. Cognates with γόνυ (gónu, “knee; plant node”, nom.sg.).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈɡe.nuː/, [ˈɡɛ.nuː]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒe.nu/, [ˈd͡ʒɛː.nu]

• Audio (Classical)

  (file)

Noun

genū n (genitive genūs); fourth declension

1. knee
2. elbow

Declension

Fourth-declension noun (neuter).

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	genū	genua
Genitive	genūs	genuum
Dative	genū	genibus
Accusative	genū	genua
Ablative	genū	genibus
Vocative	genū	genua

In Vulgar Latin the genitive genoris did occur.

• Ernst Diehl (editor), Vulgärlateinische Inschriften, Bonn, 1910, p. 98 f.:

  testor nunc superos: non | hoc meruisse videbar, |

  ín volnus genoris quot || subito occidimus. |

Derived terms

• geniculum
• genuflecto

References

• genu in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• genu in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• genu in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
• genu in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Hachette
• Carl Meissner; Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • (ambiguous) the male, female sex: sexus (not genus) virilis, muliebris
    
  • (ambiguous) to choose a career, profession: genus vitae (vivendi) or aetatis degendae deligere
    
  • (ambiguous) to analyse a general division into its specific parts: genus universum in species certas partiri et dividere (Or. 33. 117)
    
  • (ambiguous) to transplant to Rome one of the branches of poesy: poesis genus ad Romanos transferre
    
  • (ambiguous) style: genus dicendi (scribendi); oratio
    
  • (ambiguous) elevated, moderate, plain style: genus dicendi grave or grande, medium, tenue (cf. Or. 5. 20; 6. 21)
    
  • (ambiguous) a running style: fusum orationis genus
    
  • (ambiguous) a rough, unpolished style: inconditum dicendi genus (Brut. 69. 242)
    
  • (ambiguous) a bombastic style: inflatum orationis genus
    
  • (ambiguous) to adopt the language of everyday life: accedere ad cotidiani sermonis genus