sapphirus

Latin

Alternative forms

• sappīrus (Classical Latin)
• sapphir, sappir

Etymology

From Ancient Greek σάπφειρος (sáppheiros).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [sapˈpʰiː.rʊs]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [sapˈfiː.rus]

Noun

sapphīrus f (genitive sapphīrī); second declension

1. (Classical Latin, originally) a blue gem from the east, probably the lapis lazuli
2. (later) sapphire

   Synonym: (Classical Latin) hyacinthus

Declension

Second-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	sapphīrus	sapphīrī
genitive	sapphīrī	sapphīrōrum
dative	sapphīrō	sapphīrīs
accusative	sapphīrum	sapphīrōs
ablative	sapphīrō	sapphīrīs
vocative	sapphīre	sapphīrī

Related terms

• sapphirinus

Descendants

• French: saphir
  • → Romanian: safir n
  • → Turkish: safir
• Italian: zaffiro
  • → Greek: ζαφείρι (zafeíri)
• Spanish: zafiro

References

• “sapphirus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “sapphirus”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.