vinculum

English

Etymology

From Latin vinculum (“bond, link”), from vinciō (“bind, fetter, tie”) + -ulum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈvɪŋ.kjə.ləm/

Noun

vinculum (plural vincula or vinculums)

1. (obsolete, figurative) A bond or tie that unifies.
2. (obsolete, arithmetic) Any symbol used to group some of the terms in an expression, indicating that that part of the calculation should be done before other parts, or that the Roman numeral underneath should be multiplied by 1,000.
3. (arithmetic) A horizontal line over the top of some of the terms in an expression, indicating that that part of the calculation is to be done before other parts (in modern mathematical notation confined to use in radicals: $\sqrt{x+y}$).
4. (arithmetic) The horizontal line between the numerator and denominator in a fraction.
5. (arithmetic) A horizontal line placed over one or more digits of a decimal expansion to indicate that those digits repeat indefinitely (the repetend).

   $0.\bar{3}=0.333\dots$

6. (mathematics, complex analysis) A horizontal line placed over a complex number or expression to denote its complex conjugate.

   $\overline{2+3i}=2-3i$

7. (mathematics, geometry) A horizontal line drawn over two letters to denote the line segment joining them.

   $\overline{AB}$ is the line segment between points $A$ and $B$

8. (logic, electronics) A horizontal line placed over a symbol or expression to denote logical negation (complement).

   $\bar{A}=\mathrm{\neg }A$

   $\overline{AB}=\mathrm{\neg }(A\wedge B)$

9. (arithmetic, historical) A horizontal line placed over the characteristic (integer part) of a common logarithm to indicate that the characteristic is negative while the mantissa (decimal part) remains positive. Historically used to simplify the use of logarithm tables.

   $\log 0.012=\bar{2}.07918=-1.92082$

10. (anatomy) A ligament that limits the movement of an organ or part.
11. (Australia, surveying) A symbol in the shape of an elongated letter "S" (∫) or pair of hooks (⌠⌡) drawn on plans to join non-contiguous sections of land that are to be treated as a single parcel.

    Synonym: (UK) brace

Quotations

• For quotations using this term, see Citations:vinculum.

Synonyms

• (ligament): mesotendon

Derived terms

• vinculin

See also

• macron
• solidus
• virgule

Further reading

• vinculum on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Latin

Alternative forms

• vinclum

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *weyk-

Proto-Indo-European *-n-

Proto-Indo-European *wi-n-k-der.

Latin vinciō

Proto-Indo-European *-tḗr

Proto-Indo-European *-om

Proto-Indo-European *-trom

Proto-Indo-European *-tlom

Proto-Italic *-klom?

Proto-Indo-European *-lós

Proto-Indo-European *-elós

Proto-Italic *-elos?

Latin -ulum

Latin vinculum

From vinciō (“bind, fetter, tie”) + -ulum (instrument noun suffix).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈwɪŋ.kʊ.ɫũː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈviŋ.ku.lum]

Noun

vinculum n (genitive vinculī); second declension

1. Any instrument whereby anything is bound or tied up; bond, band, fetter, chain, cord, tie, link

   Synonyms: restis, fūniculus, līnum, laqueus, nervus

   • c. 52 BCE, Julius Caesar, Commentarii de bello Gallico 1.4:

     Mōribus suīs Orgetorīgem ex vinculīs causam dīcere coēgērunt.

     In accordance with their customs, they compelled Orgetorix to plead his case in chains.
     (“Out of chains”; that is, “[standing] in chains”; a Latin idiom.)

2. (figuratively) a bond, obligation, binding force, tie, especially of marriage
   • See alternative form vinclum, with quote from Aeneid, 4.59.

Declension

Second-declension noun (neuter).

	singular	plural
nominative	vinculum	vincula
genitive	vinculī	vinculōrum
dative	vinculō	vinculīs
accusative	vinculum	vincula
ablative	vinculō	vinculīs
vocative	vinculum	vincula

Related terms

• dēvinciō
• ēvinciō
• pervinca
• praevinciō
• prōvincia
• prōvinciālis
• vinciō
• vinctiō
• vinctor
• vinctūra
• vinctus
• vinculō

Descendants

• Italo-Romance:
  • Italian: vinchio, vinco, ⇒ vinciglio
• Gallo-Romance:
  • Catalan: vencill
• Ibero-Romance:
  • Asturian: venceyu, venceya
  • Old Galician-Portuguese: brinco
    • Galician: brinco, vinco, ⇒ vencello
    • Portuguese: brinco, ⇒ vencilho
    • → Asturian: brincu
    • → Spanish: brinco
  • Spanish: vencejo
• Borrowings:
  • → Asturian: vínculu
  • → Catalan: vincle
  • → English: vinculum
  • → Galician: vínculo
  • → Italian: vincolo
  • → Piedmontese: vìncol
  • → Portuguese: vínculo
  • → Spanish: vínculo

References

• “vinculum”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “vinculum”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “vinculum”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894), Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • (ambiguous) to burst one's chains: vincula rumpere
    
  • (ambiguous) to put some one in irons, chains: in vincula (custodiam) dare aliquem
    
  • (ambiguous) to put some one in irons, chains: in vincula, in catenas conicere aliquem
    
• “vinculum”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper’s Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers