genu

See also: ĝenu

English

Etymology

PIE word
*ǵónu

Borrowed from Latin genu (“knee”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒɛn.juː/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒiˌnu/, /ˈd͡ʒɛn.(j)u/
• Rhymes: -ɛnjuː

Noun

genu (plural genua)

1. (anatomy, zootomy) The knee.

   Hyponyms: genu valgum, genu varum

   1. A knee-like structure, in particular a bend in the corpus callosum of mammals.

Derived terms

• genual
• genu-

Related terms

• geniculate

References

• “genu”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–present.
• “genu”, in Merriam–Webster Online Dictionary.

Anagrams

• Egun

---

Latin

Alternative forms

• genum, genus

Etymology

PIE word
*ǵónu

From Proto-Italic *genu, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵónu. Cognates with Ancient Greek γόνῠ (gónu, “knee; plant node”), German knie, English knee.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈɡe.nuː/, [ˈɡɛnuː] or IPA^(key): /ˈɡe.nu/, [ˈɡɛnʊ]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒe.nu/, [ˈd͡ʒɛːnu]

• Audio (Classical)

  (file)

• Note: the nominative/accusative ending vowel of 4th declension neuters is etymologically expected to be short, and is stated to be so by late grammarians. A long vowel would also be expected to be subject to iambic shortening in most forms. There are only two passages that conclusively require a long scansion.

Noun

genū n (genitive genūs); fourth declension

1. (literally, anatomy) a knee, kneejoint, kneepan
   1. an act of kneeling or beseeching
   2. an elbow
2. (transferred sense, botany) a knot, joint

   Synonym: geniculum

Inflection

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

A rare genitive singular form genoris is attested epigraphically.

• 1910, Ernst Diehl, editor, Vulgärlateinische Inschriften, Bonn, page 98 f:

  testor nunc superōs: nōn hoc meruisse vidēbar
  in volnus genoris quot subitō occidimus.

  I bear witness before the Gods that I don't think I was deserving
  to have a sudden harm befall my knee

Derived terms

• geniculum
• geniculus
• genuflecto

References

• genu in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press

Further reading

• 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 with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• genu in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré Latin-Français, Hachette
• Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[2], 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