squama

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin squāma (“scale”). Doublet of squame.

Noun

squama (plural squamae or squamas)

1. (medicine) A scale cast off from the skin; a thin dry shred of epithelium.
2. (botany) The bract of a deciduous spike.
3. (botany) Any scaly bracted leaf.
4. (entomology) A calypter.

Derived terms

• squamation

Related terms

• squamous

Further reading

• “squama”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈskwa.ma/
• Rhymes: -ama
• Hyphenation: squà‧ma

Etymology 1

From Latin squāma.

Noun

squama f (plural squame)

1. (zoology) scale (keratin piece covering the skin of reptiles and fishes)

   Synonym: scaglia

2. (anatomy) squama

Derived terms

• squamare
• squamoso

Etymology 2

Inflected form of the verb squamare.

Verb

squama

1. inflection of squamare:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Latin

Etymology

Probably related to squālus (“filthy, foul”) or possibly from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kewH- (“to cover”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈskʷaː.ma/, [ˈs̠kʷäːmä]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈskwa.ma/, [ˈskwäːmä]

Noun

squāma f (genitive squāmae); first declension

1. scale (of a fish or reptile)
2. (by extension) flake; any item shaped like a scale

Declension

First-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	squāma	squāmae
genitive	squāmae	squāmārum
dative	squāmae	squāmīs
accusative	squāmam	squāmās
ablative	squāmā	squāmīs
vocative	squāma	squāmae

Derived terms

• squāmātus
• squāmeus
• squāmifer / squāmiger
• squāmōsus
• squāmula

Descendants

• Aromanian: scamã
• Asturian: escama
• Catalan: escama, esquama
• English: squama, squame
• French: squame
• Galician: escama
• Italian: squama
• Occitan: escauma
• Old French: eschame
• Portuguese: escama
• Romanian: scamă, scvamă
• Sicilian: scama
• Spanish: escama
• Venetan: sčiàma

References

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