masculus

Latin

Etymology

Diminutive, from mās, marem (“male, man”) +‎ -culus.

Alternative forms

• masclus, mascel

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈmas.ku.lus/, [ˈmäs̠kʊɫ̪ʊs̠]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈmas.ku.lus/, [ˈmɑskulus]
• Note: the /a/ of this word is presumed to be short as in the oblique stem of the base word, and not long as in the Nominative, since word-formation operates on the former.

Adjective

masculus (feminine mascula, neuter masculum); first/second-declension adjective

1. male, masculine
2. manly, virile
3. Used of the larger and coarser varieties of plants or other natural products
4. (engineering) a male connector

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

Number	Singular				Plural
Case / Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	masculus	mascula	masculum		masculī	masculae	mascula
Genitive	masculī	masculae	masculī		masculōrum	masculārum	masculōrum
Dative	masculō		masculō		masculīs
Accusative	masculum	masculam	masculum		masculōs	masculās	mascula
Ablative	masculō	masculā	masculō		masculīs
Vocative	mascule	mascula	masculum		masculī	masculae	mascula

Noun

masculus m (genitive masculī); second declension

1. a male, boy (of humans or other animals)

Declension

Second-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	masculus	masculī
Genitive	masculī	masculōrum
Dative	masculō	masculīs
Accusative	masculum	masculōs
Ablative	masculō	masculīs
Vocative	mascule	masculī

Derived terms

• masculīnus

Descendants

• Albanian: mashkull
• Aromanian: mascur
• Asturian: machu
• Catalan: mascle
• Corsican: maschiu
• Dalmatian: muosclo
• Friulian: mascli, mascjo
• Galician: macho
• Istriot: mas'cio
• Italian: maschio, mascolo, masculo
• Megleno-Romanian: mascur
• Occitan: mascle

• Old French: masle
  • French: mâle
  • English male
• Portuguese: macho, másculo
• Romanian: mascur, mascul
• Romansch: mastgel, mascal, mascel, mes-cel, mas-cel
• Sardinian: màschiu, màsciu, mascru, mascu
• Sicilian: màsculu
• Spanish: macho, másculo
  • → English: macho
• Venetian: mas-cio, mascio
• Walloon: måye

References

• “masculus” on page 1190 of the Oxford Latin Dictionary (2nd ed., 2012)

Further reading

• masculus in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• masculus in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• masculus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré Latin-Français, Hachette