volucer

Latin

Alternative forms

volucris

Etymology

From volō, volāre (“to fly”). The masculine nominative singular form is derived by syncope from pre-Latin *wolukris, which probably developed by dissimilation from earlier *woluklis^[1] or *weluklis,^[2] with a suffix ultimately derived from pre-Proto-Italic *-tlis, *-tl-, a variant of the zero-grade of Proto-Indo-European *-tḗr (suffix forming agent nouns), related to Latin -tor. Compare alacer and alacris. However, De Vaan regards the origin of the *-kris ending as uncertain.^[3]

Although the stem of the verb volō (“to fly”) is volā-, this adjective is built on a stem volu- with a short /u/, which De Vaan considers unexplained.^[1] Sen argues that the stem *welu- was taken from volucra (“larva of a moth that infests vines”), a derivative of volvō (“to (cause to) roll”), based on semantic and formal similarity.^[2] There is no consensus on the ultimate etymology of volō (“to fly”), but one hypothesis is that it comes from Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH- (“to throw”); assuming this initial *gʷ- is correct, Weiss 2009 reconstructs an earlier stage as *gʷolu-tlis, comparing it to Sanskrit गरुड (garuḍá) (which Weiss derives from earlier *garutráḥ),^[4] and Schrijver compares it to Sanskrit गरुत्मान् (garutmān).^[5]

Pronunciation

(Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈwɔ.ɫʊ.kɛr]
(modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈvɔː.lu.t͡ʃer]

Adjective

volucer (feminine volucris, neuter volucre, adverb volucriter); third-declension three-termination adjective

winged
- 29 bc. Vergil. Georgics, III
  omne adeo genvs in terris hominvmqve ferarvmqve
  et genvs æqvorevm pecvdes pictæqve volvcres
  in fvrias ignemqve rvvnt
  So far does every species on earth of man and beast,
  whether the aquatic species, livestock, or painted-winged,
  collapse into the frenzies and the fire [of sex].
- 8 CE, Ovid, Fasti 5.271–272:
  ‘mella meum mūnus: volucrēs ego mella datūrās
  ad violam et cytisōs et thyma cāna vocō.’
  “Honeys [are also] my duty: [It is] I [who] call to the violet, and the clover, and the hoary thyme the winged [ones who are] about to give honeys.”
  (The poetic voice of Flora (mythology) is referring to “bees” as being “winged.” Translating “mella” as nominative and accusative plural, since the varied flowers result in differently colored and flavored honeys.)
flying; able to fly

Declension

Third-declension three-termination adjective or third-declension two-termination adjective.

	masculine	feminine	neuter	masculine	neuter
	singular			plural
nominative	volucer volucris	volucris volucer	volucre	volucrēs	volucria
genitive	volucris			volucrium volucrum	volucrium
dative	volucrī			volucribus
accusative	volucrem		volucre	volucrīs volucrēs	volucria
ablative	volucrī			volucribus
vocative	volucer volucris	volucris volucer	volucre	volucrēs	volucria

Derived terms

volucripēs
volucritās
volucriter

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 De Vaan, Michiel (2008), “volō”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 688
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 Ranjan Sen (2015), Syllable and Segment in Latin, Oxford University Press, →ISBN, pages 103, 107
^ De Vaan, Michiel (2008), “alacer”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 32
^ Weiss, Michael L. (2009), Outline of the Historical and Comparative Grammar of Latin‎^[1], Ann Arbor: Beech Stave Press, →ISBN, page 318
^ Schrijver, Peter C. H. (1991), The reflexes of the Proto-Indo-European laryngeals in Latin (Leiden studies in Indo-European; 2), Amsterdam, Atlanta: Rodopi, →ISBN, page 470