piaculum

English

Etymology

From Latin piāculum. Doublet of piacle.

Noun

piaculum (plural piacula)

1. An expiatory sacrifice.
2. The victim in such a sacrifice.
3. An act requiring expiation.

Related terms

• piacular

Latin

Etymology

From piō (“I appease, purify, expiate”) +‎ -culum (instrumental suffix). Given Umbrian pihaclu (abl. sg.), Proto-Italic *pwīāklom can be reconstructed.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /piˈaː.ku.lum/, [piˈäːkʊɫ̪ʊ̃ˑ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /piˈa.ku.lum/, [piˈäːkulum]

Noun

piāculum n (genitive piāculī); second declension

1. propitiatory sacrifice, expiation, atonement

   Synonym: lūstrum

2. an animal offered up in sacrifice, a victim
3. sin, crime, guilt

Declension

Second-declension noun (neuter).

	singular	plural
nominative	piāculum	piācula
genitive	piāculī	piāculōrum
dative	piāculō	piāculīs
accusative	piāculum	piācula
ablative	piāculō	piāculīs
vocative	piāculum	piācula

References

• “piaculum”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “piaculum”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• piaculum in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.