vagus

English

Etymology

Borrowing from Latin vagus (“wandering, rambling, strolling”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈveɪ.ɡəs/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Homophone: Vegas
• Rhymes: -eɪɡəs

Noun

vagus (plural vagi)

1. (Roman Catholicism) A homeless person or vagrant.
   • 1922, “Domicile”, in Charles George Herbermann, Edward A. Pace, editors, The Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church, volume 17, page 270:

     Though not referred in the Code as a domicile of origin, a child's place of origin is fixed by the place where his father had his domicile or, in defect of domicile, his quasi-domicile when the child was born, or where the mother had hers if the child was illegitimate or posthumous; if the parents were vagi it is the place where the child was born; if the child was a foundling the place where it was discovered.

2. (neuroanatomy) Ellipsis of vagus nerve.

Related terms

• nervus vagus
• vague

Finnish

Etymology

< Latin vagus

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʋɑɡus/, [ˈʋɑ̝ɡus̠]
• Rhymes: -ɑɡus
• Syllabification^(key): va‧gus
• Hyphenation^(key): va‧gus

Noun

vagus

1. (medicine, in compounds) vagus, vagus nerve

Declension

Inflection of vagus (Kotus type 39/vastaus, no gradation)
nominative		vagus	vagukset
genitive		vaguksen	vagusten vaguksien
partitive		vagusta	vaguksia
illative		vagukseen	vaguksiin
		singular	plural
nominative		vagus	vagukset
accusative	nom.	vagus	vagukset
	gen.	vaguksen
genitive		vaguksen	vagusten vaguksien
partitive		vagusta	vaguksia
inessive		vaguksessa	vaguksissa
elative		vaguksesta	vaguksista
illative		vagukseen	vaguksiin
adessive		vaguksella	vaguksilla
ablative		vagukselta	vaguksilta
allative		vagukselle	vaguksille
essive		vaguksena	vaguksina
translative		vagukseksi	vaguksiksi
abessive		vaguksetta	vaguksitta
instructive		—	vaguksin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of vagus (Kotus type 39/vastaus, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative vagukseni vagukseni accusative nom. vagukseni vagukseni gen. vagukseni genitive vagukseni vagusteni vaguksieni partitive vagustani vaguksiani inessive vaguksessani vaguksissani elative vaguksestani vaguksistani illative vagukseeni vaguksiini adessive vaguksellani vaguksillani ablative vagukseltani vaguksiltani allative vagukselleni vaguksilleni essive vaguksenani vaguksinani translative vaguksekseni vaguksikseni abessive vaguksettani vaguksittani instructive — — comitative — vaguksineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative vaguksesi vaguksesi accusative nom. vaguksesi vaguksesi gen. vaguksesi genitive vaguksesi vagustesi vaguksiesi partitive vagustasi vaguksiasi inessive vaguksessasi vaguksissasi elative vaguksestasi vaguksistasi illative vagukseesi vaguksiisi adessive vaguksellasi vaguksillasi ablative vagukseltasi vaguksiltasi allative vaguksellesi vaguksillesi essive vaguksenasi vaguksinasi translative vagukseksesi vaguksiksesi abessive vaguksettasi vaguksittasi instructive — — comitative — vaguksinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative vaguksemme vaguksemme accusative nom. vaguksemme vaguksemme gen. vaguksemme genitive vaguksemme vagustemme vaguksiemme partitive vagustamme vaguksiamme inessive vaguksessamme vaguksissamme elative vaguksestamme vaguksistamme illative vagukseemme vaguksiimme adessive vaguksellamme vaguksillamme ablative vagukseltamme vaguksiltamme allative vaguksellemme vaguksillemme essive vaguksenamme vaguksinamme translative vagukseksemme vaguksiksemme abessive vaguksettamme vaguksittamme instructive — — comitative — vaguksinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative vaguksenne vaguksenne accusative nom. vaguksenne vaguksenne gen. vaguksenne genitive vaguksenne vagustenne vaguksienne partitive vagustanne vaguksianne inessive vaguksessanne vaguksissanne elative vaguksestanne vaguksistanne illative vagukseenne vaguksiinne adessive vaguksellanne vaguksillanne ablative vagukseltanne vaguksiltanne allative vaguksellenne vaguksillenne essive vaguksenanne vaguksinanne translative vagukseksenne vaguksiksenne abessive vaguksettanne vaguksittanne instructive — — comitative — vaguksinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative vaguksensa vaguksensa accusative nom. vaguksensa vaguksensa gen. vaguksensa genitive vaguksensa vagustensa vaguksiensa partitive vagustaan vagustansa vaguksiaan vaguksiansa inessive vaguksessaan vaguksessansa vaguksissaan vaguksissansa elative vaguksestaan vaguksestansa vaguksistaan vaguksistansa illative vagukseensa vaguksiinsa adessive vaguksellaan vaguksellansa vaguksillaan vaguksillansa ablative vagukseltaan vagukseltansa vaguksiltaan vaguksiltansa allative vagukselleen vaguksellensa vaguksilleen vaguksillensa essive vaguksenaan vaguksenansa vaguksinaan vaguksinansa translative vaguksekseen vagukseksensa vaguksikseen vaguksiksensa abessive vaguksettaan vaguksettansa vaguksittaan vaguksittansa instructive — — comitative — vaguksineen vaguksinensa

Derived terms

compounds

• vagushermo

Latin

Etymology

Uncertain. De Vaan suggests from Proto-Italic *wagos, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *Hwogos, and compares this form to Old Norse vakka (“to totter”), Old High German wankon (“to totter”), winkan (“to waver, stagger”), Old English wincian (“to nod”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈwa.ɡʊs]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈvaː.ɡus]

Adjective

vagus (feminine vaga, neuter vagum); first/second-declension adjective

1. (literal) wandering, rambling, strolling, roving, roaming, unfixed, unsettled, vagrant

   Synonyms: errābundus, vagābundus

   vagus animis ― gone insane, gone mad

2. (figuratively) wandering, wavering, unsteady, inconstant, doubtful, uncertain, vague
3. undecided, fickle

   Synonyms: dubius, suspensus, incertus, anceps

   Antonyms: indubius, prōmptus, fixus

   vagus animi ― undecided mind

Inflection

First/second-declension adjective.

	singular				plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	vagus	vaga	vagum		vagī	vagae	vaga
genitive	vagī	vagae	vagī		vagōrum	vagārum	vagōrum
dative	vagō	vagae	vagō		vagīs
accusative	vagum	vagam	vagum		vagōs	vagās	vaga
ablative	vagō	vagā	vagō		vagīs
vocative	vage	vaga	vagum		vagī	vagae	vaga

Derived terms

• arēnivagus
• circumvagus
• fluctivagus
• harēnivagus
• ignivagus
• lūdivagus
• lustrivagus
• montivagus
• multivagus
• mundivagus
• nemorivagus
• noctivagus
• nūbivagus
• omnivagus
• palūdivagus
• pervagus
• pontivagus
• rēmivagus
• sōlivagus
• undivagus
• vagē
• vagor
• vagulus
• Venerivagus
• vulgivagus

Descendants

Descendants

• → Catalan: vague
• → Czech: vágní
• → English: vagus
• → Galician: vago
• → Italian: vago
• → Old French: vague
  • → Danish: vag
  • → Dutch: vaag
  • → English: vague
  • French: vague
  • → Swedish: vag
• → Portuguese: vago
• → Romanian: vag
• → Spanish: vago
• → Slovak: vágny

References

• “vagus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• vagus in Enrico Olivetti, editor (2003-2026), Dizionario Latino, Olivetti Media Communication

Further reading

• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “vagus”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
• “vagus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• "vagus", in Charles du Fresne du Cange, Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• “vagus”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894), Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • the planets: stellae errantes, vagae