obscenus

Latin

Alternative forms

• obscaenus

Etymology

Uncertain. Usually derived from Proto-Indo-European *ḱʷeyn- (“to soil; mud; filth”). According to Pokorny, cognate with inquinō, caenum, cūniō and whin.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /obˈskeː.nus/, [ɔpˈs̠keːnʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /obˈʃe.nus/, [obˈʃɛːnus]

Adjective

obscēnus (feminine obscēna, neuter obscēnum, superlative obscēnissimus); first/second-declension adjective

1. inauspicious, ominous, portentous
2. repulsive, offensive, abominable, hateful, disgusting, filthy
3. immodest, impure, indecent, lewd, obscene

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

Number	Singular				Plural
Case / Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	obscēnus	obscēna	obscēnum		obscēnī	obscēnae	obscēna
Genitive	obscēnī	obscēnae	obscēnī		obscēnōrum	obscēnārum	obscēnōrum
Dative	obscēnō		obscēnō		obscēnīs
Accusative	obscēnum	obscēnam	obscēnum		obscēnōs	obscēnās	obscēna
Ablative	obscēnō	obscēnā	obscēnō		obscēnīs
Vocative	obscēne	obscēna	obscēnum		obscēnī	obscēnae	obscēna

Descendants

• → English: obscene
• French: obscène
• → German: obszön
• Portuguese: obsceno
• Spanish: obsceno

References

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