LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinesecond declension

adulter1

adulter m (genitive adulterī)
Classical[aˈdʊɫ.tɛr]Ecclesiastical[aˈdul.ter]

Meaning

  1. masculineadulterer or adulteress, paramour
  2. masculinebastard
    adulteri et non filii estis.You are bastards and not sons.Vulgate, Hebrews 12.8

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeadulteradulterī
genitiveadulterīadulterōrum
dativeadulterōadulterīs
accusativeadulterumadulterōs
ablativeadulterōadulterīs
vocativeadulteradulterī

ăd-ulter, ĕri, m., and ădultĕra, ae, f. alter, acc. to Fest.: adulter et adultera dicuntur, quia et ille ad alteram et haec ad alterum se conferunt, p. 22 Müll., orig.
I. one who approaches another (from unlawful or criminal love), an adulterer or adulteress (as an adj. also, but only in the poets).
I. Prop.: quis ganeo, quis nepos, quis adulter, quae mulier infamis, etc., Cic. Cat. 2, 4: sororis adulter Clodius, id. Sest. 39; so id. Fin. 2, 9; Ov. H. 20, 8; Tac. A. 3, 24; Vulg. Deut. 22, 22: adultera, Hor. C. 3, 3, 25; Ov. M. 10, 347; Quint. 5, 10, 104; Suet. Calig. 24; Vulg. Deut. 22, 22; and with mulier: via mulieris adulterae, ib. Prov. 30, 20; ib. Ezech. 16, 32.—Also of animals: adulter, Grat. Cyneg. 164; Claud. Cons. Mall. Theod. 304: adultera, Plin. 8, 16, 17, § 43.—Poet. in gen. of unlawful love, without the access. idea of adultery, a paramour: Danaën munierant satis nocturnis ab adulteris, Hor. C. 3, 16, 1 sq.; so id. ib. 1, 36, 19; Ov. Ib. 338.—
II. Adulter solidorum, i. e. monetae, a counterfeiter or adulterator of coin, Const. 5, Cod. Th.—
III. The offspring of unlawful love: nothus, a bastard (eccl.): adulteri et non filii estis, Vulg. Heb. 12, 8.

Origins

Back-formation from adulterō.

Descendants
  • Catalanadúlter
  • Frenchadultère
  • Frenchavoutrefrom Old French avoistre
  • Englishadvoutrerfrom Old French avoistre
  • Portugueseadúltero
  • Spanishadúltero
  • Galicianadúltero
  • Bourguignonaivoutrefrom Old French avoistre
  • Irishadhaltrasfrom Old Irish adaltras
adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective (nominative masculine singular in -er)
adulter2
adulter (feminine adultera, neuter adulterum)
Classical[aˈdʊɫ.tɛr]Ecclesiastical[aˈdul.ter]

Meaning

  1. adjectiveadulterous, unfaithful, unchaste
  2. adjectivebroadlycounterfeit, false

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativein -er
adulter		adulteraadulterum
genitiveadulterīadulteraeadulterī
dativeadulterōadulteraeadulterō
accusativeadulterumadulteramadulterum
ablativeadulterōadulterāadulterō
vocativeadulteradulteraadulterum
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativeadulterīadulteraeadultera
genitiveadulterōrumadulterārumadulterōrum
dativeadulterīsadulterīsadulterīs
accusativeadulterōsadulterāsadultera
ablativeadulterīsadulterīsadulterīs
vocativeadulterīadulteraeadultera

ădulter, -tĕra, -tĕrum, adj. (Rudd. I. p. 51, n. 36), for adulterinus,
I. adulterous, unchaste: crines, finely-curled hair, like that of a full-dressed paramour, Hor. C. 1, 15, 19: mens, that thinks only of illicit love, Ov. Am. 3, 4, 5: clavis, a key to the chamber of a courtesan, id. A. A. 3, 643.—
II. Transf., counterfeit, false: imitatio solidi, Cod. Th. 9, 22, 1.

Origins

Back-formation from adulterō.

Elsewhere
  • Italianadultero
Gallo-Italic
  • Romagnoladùltar
  • Romagnoladùlter

Quick answers

What does adulter mean in Latin?
adulter, a noun, means “adulterer or adulteress, paramour; bastard”.
What is the genitive of adulter?
The genitive singular is adulterī. adulter is masculine, second declension.
How do you pronounce adulter?
In classical Latin, [aˈdʊɫ.tɛr]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [aˈdul.ter].