LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininesecond declension

alvus

alvus f (genitive alvī)
Classical[ˈaɫ.wʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈal.vus]

Meaning

  1. femininebelly, bowels, paunch; excrement; flux, diarrhoea
  2. femininestomach, digestive organs
    alvī pūrgātiō
  3. femininewomb; matrix (of a fruit)
  4. femininewomb
  5. femininehollow, cavity
  6. femininehold or hull of a ship or boat
  7. femininebeehive
    alvī melle plēnae
    Mediā alvō, quā introeant apēs, faciunt forāmina parva dextra ac sinistra.234 BCE – 149 BCE, Cato the Elder, De agri cultura

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativealvusalvī
genitivealvīalvōrum
dativealvōalvīs
accusativealvumalvōs
ablativealvōalvīs
vocativealvealvī

alvus, i, f. (m., Att. ap. Prisc. p. 654 P.; 718 ib., and Non. 193, 26; Calv., Ael. Cin., and Laber. ap. Charis. p. 61 P.) [for aluus from alo: venter feminae ab alendo dicta, Paul. ex Fest. p. 8 Müll. and so Varr.; acc. to others kindr. with Sanscr. ulvam = uterus, and this again connected with vulva, volvo; ἐλύω εἰλύω; Sanscr. val = to turn; O. H. Germ. wallen = to roll],
I. the belly, the paunch, the bowels.
I. Lit.: purgatio alvi, Cic. N. D. 3, 22: forsitan purgat alvum, Vulg. Jud. 3, 24; 3, 22; cf. Cic. N. D. 2, 50: solvere, Cels. 1, 3: exonerare, Plin. 10, 44, 61, § 126: inanire, id. 20, 3, 8, § 14 et saep.: non descendit alvus, is costive, Cels. 2, 7: cui satis alvus reddit cotidie, id. 2, 12, n. 2: alvus cita, active, id. 1, 6: alvum bonam facere, Cato, R. R. 114: movere, id. ib. 115: citare, Col. 7, 9, 9: adstringere alvum, to make costive, Cels. 1, 3; so also: cohibere, comprimere, supprimere, firmare, sistere, inhibere, etc., to bind, constipate, etc.—In plur.: ad eliciendas alvos, Plin. 19, 5, 26, § 2.—Hence, for excrement: alvus varia, Cels. 2, 6: alvus liquida, nigra, pallida, pinguis, id. ib.; and for flux, diarrhœa: alvus corpus ac vires carpit, Col. 6, 7.—
II. Transf.
A. The womb: in alvo gestare, Plaut. Stich. 2, 1, 5; twice in Cic.: cum praegnans Dionysium alvo contineret, Cic. Div. 1, 20: spes in alvo commendata, id. Clu. 12; so Hor. C. 4, 6, 20; id. A. P. 340 al.—
B. The stomach, the digestive organs, Cic. N. D. 2, 54; so id. ib. 2, 50; Ov. M. 6, 651.—
C. A beehive (very freq.): mediā alvo, quā introeant apes, Varr. R. R. 3, 16, 15: alvi melle plenae, Plin. 21, 12, 43, § 73: si plenae alvi fuerint, id. 11, 15, 15, § 40: (apes) alvo se continent, id. 11, 16, 15, § 43; Col. 9, 8, 1; 9, 14, 7; so id. 9, 15, 11.—
D. Of the basin of the molten sea in the Jewish temple: (boves) alvum maris circuibant, Vulg. 2 Par. 4, 3.

Origins

Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewlósder. Proto-Italic *aulos? Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-der. Proto-Indo-European *-wósder. Proto-Italic *alwos? Latin alvus There are two competing theories: * From Proto-Italic *aulos with metathesis, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewlós, nominal form of *h₂ewlo- (“tube, hole, channel”). Cognate with Ancient Greek αὐλός (aulós), Lithuanian avilỹs. Same metathesis seen in parvus - παῦρος (paûros). For the semantics compare Old Armenian փոր (pʻor, “cavity, hollow; belly”). * Or from Proto-Italic *alwos, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- (“to nourish”) + *-wós.

Descendants
  • Italianalvo
  • Catalanalvífrom New Latin alvīnus
  • Englishalvinefrom New Latin alvīnus
  • Frenchalvinfrom New Latin alvīnus
  • Italianalvinofrom New Latin alvīnus
  • Portuguesealvinofrom New Latin alvīnus
  • Vulgar Latin*alvīna

In English words that came into English from alvus

  • alveolusalveolus
  • alvinealvus
  • alvearyalvearium
  • alvinophiliaalvus
  • alveusalveus
  • alvinolagniaalvus
  • alveolarealveolus
  • alveoliformalveolus

Quick answers

What does alvus mean in Latin?
alvus, a noun, means “belly, bowels, paunch; excrement; flux, diarrhoea”.
What is the genitive of alvus?
The genitive singular is alvī. alvus is feminine, second declension.
How do you pronounce alvus?
In classical Latin, [ˈaɫ.wʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈal.vus].
Which English words come from alvus?
English words that go back to Latin alvus include alvine, alvinophilia, alvinolagnia, alveus, alveolus and alveary.