mulleus
Latin
Etymology
Uncertain;[1] proposed derivations include:
- From mullus (“mullet”), but considered folk etymology
- From Proto-Indo-European *melh₂-. Cognates include Ancient Greek μέλας (mélas, “black”), Sanskrit मल (mala, “dirt, filth, dust”), Latvian melns, and Old Prussian melne. Driessen rejects the connection with adj. in **-no- meaning 'black' since Proto-Italic *melnos / *mlnos would not yield Lat. mullus but melnus / blanus, cf. blandus (“soft”)
- From Proto-Italic *molweyos, from *ml-uo (“dark, red, dirty”) IE cognates Latvian mul̃vas "reddish, yellowish," itself from *melh₂-.
Pronunciation
- (Classical Latin) IPA(key): [ˈmʊl.le.ʊs]
- (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): [ˈmul.le.us]
Adjective
mulleus (feminine mullea, neuter mulleum); first/second-declension adjective
- of a red color (said of shoes)
- calcei mullei
- red calceuses
Declension
First/second-declension adjective.
| singular | plural | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | feminine | neuter | masculine | feminine | neuter | ||
| nominative | mulleus | mullea | mulleum | mulleī | mulleae | mullea | |
| genitive | mulleī | mulleae | mulleī | mulleōrum | mulleārum | mulleōrum | |
| dative | mulleō | mulleae | mulleō | mulleīs | |||
| accusative | mulleum | mulleam | mulleum | mulleōs | mulleās | mullea | |
| ablative | mulleō | mulleā | mulleō | mulleīs | |||
| vocative | mullee | mullea | mulleum | mulleī | mulleae | mullea | |
Descendants
- ⇒ French: mule (through the feminine)
- → English: mule
- ⇒ Italian: mula (through the feminine)
- ⇒ Venetan: mula (through the feminine)
- → Italian: mulleo
- → Portuguese: múleo
See also
| albus, candidus, cānus, marmoreus (poetic), eburneus (poetic), niveus (poetic), argenteus (poetic), lacteus (poetic) | rāvus, pullus, mūrīnus (of livestock) | niger, āter, furvus, fuscus ("swarthy"), piceus (poetic) |
| ruber, russus, rūbidus (dark), flammeus (poetic); rutilus, pūniceus, spādīx (poetic), sanguineus (poetic) | rūfus, rutilus, rōbus (of oxen), croceus (poetic), aureus (poetic); fulvus (poetic), niger (of eyes), badius (of horses) | lūteus, flāvus ("blond"), lūridus, gilvus (of horses), helvus (of cattle); cēreus (poetic) |
| viridis, flāvus (poetic) | viridis, herbeus (of eyes), fulvus (poetic) | viridis, glaucus (poetic), caeruleus (poetic, only dark) |
| glaucus (poetic), caeruleus, caesius (of eyes) | caeruleus, līvidus, ferrūgineus (poetic), glaucus (poetic) | |
| violāceus | purpureus (underlying shade) | roseus |
References
- ^ Walde, Alois; Hofmann, Johann Baptist (1954), “mulleus”, in Lateinisches etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), 3rd edition, volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, page 122
Further reading
- “mulleus calceus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “mulleus”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
- De Vaan, Michiel (2008), “mulleus”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 394