arsineum

Latin

Etymology

Uncertain. Perhaps from Ancient Greek *ἀρσινόειον (*arsinóeion), from Ἀρσινόη (Arsinóē), in reference to a queen of the Ptolemaic dynasty or to one of the towns called Arsinoe; alternatively simply a variant or misreading of argentea, from argenteus (“silvery”), thus “silvery thing”—in which case the late gloss “women’s headdress”, from the epitome of Festus, is spurious.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /arˈsi.ne.um/, [ärˈs̠ɪneʊ̃ˑ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /arˈsi.ne.um/, [ärˈsiːneum]

Noun

arsineum n (genitive arsineī); second declension

1. The meaning of this term is uncertain. Possibilities include:
   1. A woman's headdress
   2. Alternative form of argenteum

Declension

Second-declension noun (neuter).

	singular	plural
nominative	arsineum	arsinea
genitive	arsineī	arsineōrum
dative	arsineō	arsineīs
accusative	arsineum	arsinea
ablative	arsineō	arsineīs
vocative	arsineum	arsinea

References

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