poples

Latin

Etymology

Of uncertain origin; proposed derivations include:

• From Proto-Indo-European *pal- (“to feel, touch, shake”), a root common to Latin papiliō (“butterfly”) and palpō (“I touch softly”).
• From Proto-Indo-European *kʷekʷlóm, *kʷékʷlos, *kʷékʷléh₂. Cognates include English wheel, Ancient Greek κύκλος (kúklos, “wheel”) and Tocharian B kokale (“cart, wagon”). For the semantic shift compare Spanish rodilla (“knee”) from roda (“wheel”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈpo.ples/, [ˈpɔpɫ̪ɛs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈpo.ples/, [ˈpɔːples]

Noun

poples m (genitive poplitis); third declension

1. (literally) the ham of the knee, the hough, the hock
2. (transferred sense, in general) the knee

Declension

Third-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	poples	poplitēs
Genitive	poplitis	poplitum
Dative	poplitī	poplitibus
Accusative	poplitem	poplitēs
Ablative	poplite	poplitibus
Vocative	poples	poplitēs

Synonyms

• (anatomy) (the ham of the knee): suffrāgō
• (the knee itself): genū

Derived terms

• popliteus (New Latin)

Descendants

• English: poplit
• French: poplité
• Italian: poplite
• Portuguese: póplite

References

• “poplĕs”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “poples”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• pŏplĕs in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette, page 1,201/1.