asilus

See also: Asilus

Gothic

Romanization

asilus

Romanization of 𐌰𐍃𐌹𐌻𐌿𐍃

Latin

Etymology

Unknown. De Vaan (2008) considers it a borrowing given the initial as- instead of a rhotacised ar- or a regularly degeminated ās- following a long vowel (< *āss-/āts-). However, the present form would in fact be a regular outcome of *ass-ī/ei-los under the "mamilla-rule", as also in pusillus, ofella. Compare asinus, likewise of obscure origin.

Pronunciation

(Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /aˈsiː.lus/, [äˈs̠iːɫ̪ʊs̠]
(modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /aˈsi.lus/, [äˈs̬iːlus]

Noun

asīlus m (genitive asīlī); second declension

gadfly, horsefly

Declension

Second-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	asīlus	asīlī
genitive	asīlī	asīlōrum
dative	asīlō	asīlīs
accusative	asīlum	asīlōs
ablative	asīlō	asīlīs
vocative	asīle	asīlī

Synonyms

(gadfly, horsefly): tabānus

Descendants

Italian: assillo
Sicilian: siḍḍu

References

De Vaan, Michiel (2008) Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7)‎^[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN
“asilus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“asilus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
“asilus”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers