veterinus

Latin

Etymology

Probably from vetus (“old”) +‎ -īnus, formed at a time when vetus was still a substantive meaning year (compare Ancient Greek ἔτος (étos, “year”)). De Vaan invokes Adams's observation that veterīnus refers to horses in particular and were thus seen as "the old stock", due to horses living longer than other domesticated cattle-type animals. Morphologically less likely, but semantically better is a connexion to vehō (“I transport”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /u̯e.teˈriː.nus/, [u̯ɛt̪ɛˈriːnʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ve.teˈri.nus/, [vet̪eˈriːnus]

Adjective

veterīnus (feminine veterīna, neuter veterīnum); first/second-declension adjective

1. related to carrying or drawing burdens
2. related to beasts of burden

Usage notes

• Can be substantivized as veterīnum (sc. animal) or veterīna (sc. bēstia). Synonymous is jūmentum.

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

	singular				plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	veterīnus	veterīna	veterīnum		veterīnī	veterīnae	veterīna
genitive	veterīnī	veterīnae	veterīnī		veterīnōrum	veterīnārum	veterīnōrum
dative	veterīnō	veterīnae	veterīnō		veterīnīs
accusative	veterīnum	veterīnam	veterīnum		veterīnōs	veterīnās	veterīna
ablative	veterīnō	veterīnā	veterīnō		veterīnīs
vocative	veterīne	veterīna	veterīnum		veterīnī	veterīnae	veterīna

Derived terms

• veterīnārius

 

References

• veterinus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• veterinus in Georges, Karl Ernst, Georges, Heinrich (1913–1918) Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th edition, volume 2, Hahnsche Buchhandlung
• “veterinus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press