ovis

See also: Ovis

Latin

Etymology 1

From Proto-Italic *owis, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ówis (“sheep”) or *h₃éwis. Cognate with Sanskrit अवि (ávi), Ancient Greek ὄϊς (óïs), English ewe.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈo.u̯is/, [ˈou̯ɪs̠]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈo.vis/, [ˈɔːvis]

Noun

ovis f (genitive ovis); third declension

1. sheep
   • 405 CE, Jerome, Vulgate Evangelium secundum Lucam.15.4-5:

     Quis ex vobis homo qui habet centum oves, et si perdiderit unam ex illis, nonne dimittit nonaginta novem in deserto, et vadit ad illam quae perierat, donec inveniat illam?

     Who among you, if you had a hundred sheep and one of them got lost, wouldn't leave the other ninety-nine behind and go for the lost one until you found it?

Declension

Third-declension noun (i-stem, ablative singular in -e or -ī).

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	ovis	ovēs
Genitive	ovis	ovium
Dative	ovī	ovibus
Accusative	ovem	ovēs ovīs
Ablative	ove ovī	ovibus
Vocative	ovis	ovēs

Derived terms

• ovicula
• Ovidius
• ovinus

Descendants

• Italian: ove
• Spanish: oveja
• Aromanian: oai, oae, oie
• Istro-Romanian: oie
• Megleno-Romanian: oaiă

• Romanian: oaie
• Translingual: Ovis

Coordinate terms

• agnus
• aries

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Noun

ōvīs

1. dative/ablative plural of ōvum

References

• “ovis”, in Charlton T[homas] Lewis; Charles [Lancaster] Short (1879) […] A New Latin Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.; Cincinnati, Ohio; Chicago, Ill.: American Book Company; Oxford: Clarendon Press.
• “ovis”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• ovis in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré Latin-Français, Hachette