novacula

Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *(ks)nowātlā, probably from Proto-Indo-European *ksnew-, extended from *kes- (“to scratch, itch”). See also Latin saucius, Ancient Greek ξύω (xúō), and Old English besnyþian.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [nɔˈwaː.kʊ.ɫa]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [noˈväː.ku.lä]

Noun

novācula f (genitive novāculae); first declension

1. A sharp knife (which was used for shaving)

   Synonym: culter

2. dagger, razor

Declension

First-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	novācula	novāculae
genitive	novāculae	novāculārum
dative	novāculae	novāculīs
accusative	novāculam	novāculās
ablative	novāculā	novāculīs
vocative	novācula	novāculae

Descendants

• Asturian: navaya
• Catalan: navalla
• Mirandese: nabalha
• Old Galician-Portuguese: navalla
  • Galician: navalla
  • Portuguese: navalha
• Spanish: navaja
• → Portuguese: novácula

References

• “novacula”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “novacula”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• novacula in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• “novacula”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper’s Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
• Pokorny, Julius (1959) Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 2, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 585