asinus

Latin

Etymology

Recent loanword, as shown by intact intervocalic -s- which otherwise rhotacized to -r- in native words. Formally incompatible with Ancient Greek ὄνος (ónos). Just like other IE words for "ass", asinus traces back to an unknown substrate source in Asia Minor (compare Hieroglyphic Luwian tarkasna, Sumerian 𒀲 (anšu), Old Armenian էշ (ēš)).

Pronunciation

(Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈa.si.nus/, [ˈa.sɪ.nʊs]

Noun

asinus m (genitive asinī); second declension

a donkey, an ass
- c. 191 BCE, Plautus, Pseudolus, act 1, scene 2:
  Neque ego homines magis asinos umquam vidi.
  At no time did I ever see human beings more like asses.
(figuratively) an ass, an idiot, a dolt, a simpleton, a blockhead
- c. 160 BCE, Publius Terentius Afer, Adelphoe :
  Quid tu autem huic, asine, auscultas?
- c. 70 BCE, Cicero, 'In Pisonem', chapter 73:
  Quid nunc te, asine, litteras doceam? Non opus est verbis, sed fustibus.
  Why should I now teach you letters, idiot? I want not for words but instead cudgels.

Declension

Second-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	asinus	asinī
Genitive	asinī	asinōrum
Dative	asinō	asinīs
Accusative	asinum	asinōs
Ablative	asinō	asinīs
Vocative	asine	asinī

Synonyms

iumentum (when used to pull carts)

Hypernyms

iumenta (when used to pull carts)

Derived terms

asellus
asina
asinīnus
pons asinorum (bridge of asses)
qui asinum non potest, stratum caedit (he, that cannot find the offender, avenges himself on the unoffending; literally: who can't murder the donkey, murders the cover)

asinus in tegulis (of an odd appearance; literally: a donkey on roof tiles)
asinus ad lyram (of an awkward man; literally: the donkey at the lyre)
sepulturā asini sepelietur (of a contemptible and unworthy man, that somebody will not merit any kind of burial; literally: he will be buried in a donkey's grave)

Descendants

Franco-Provençal: âno
Italian: asino
Lombard: asen
Ligurian: âze
Old French: asne
- Middle French: asne
  - French: âne
- Norman: âne
- Walloon: ågne
- → Old Norse: asni
  - Faroese: asni
  - Icelandic: asni
  - Elfdalian: åsn
  - Norwegian: asen
    - → Northern Sami: ásen
  - Old Swedish: asne, asni
    - Swedish: åsna
    - → Finnish: aasi
Old Occitan: asne
- Catalan: ase
- Occitan: asne
Old Portuguese: asno
- Galician: asno
- Portuguese: asno
Old Spanish:
- Spanish: asno
  - → Cebuano: asno
Romanian: asin, asân
Romansch: asen, asan, esan
Sardinian: àinu
Sicilian: àsinu
Venetian: àxeno
→ Celtic:
- Brythonic:
  - Breton: azen
  - Old Cornish: asen
  - Welsh: asyn
- Old Irish: asan
  - Middle Irish: asan, assan
- → Old English: assen, assa
  - Middle English: as, ass, asse
    - English: ass
→ Samoan: asini

Adjective

asinus (feminine asina, neuter asinum); first/second-declension adjective

(relational) ass, donkey
stupid, asinine

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

Case / Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Number	Singular			Plural
Nominative	asinus	asina	asinum	asinī	asinae	asina
Genitive	asinī	asinae	asinī	asinōrum	asinārum	asinōrum
Dative	asinō	asinae	asinō	asinīs
Accusative	asinum	asinam	asinum	asinōs	asinās	asina
Ablative	asinō	asinā	asinō	asinīs
Vocative	asine	asina	asinum	asinī	asinae	asina

References

asinus in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
asinus in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
asinus in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
asinus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Hachette
De Vaan, Michiel (2008) Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, page 57

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