proper noun · neutersecond declension
Arpīnum
Arpīnum n sg (genitive Arpīnī)
Classical[arˈpiː.nũː]Ecclesiastical[arˈpiː.num]
Meaning
- an ancient city of the Volscians, situated on a hill above the valley of the Liris and birthplace of Cicero, now Arpino
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | Arpīnum | — |
| genitive | Arpīnī | — |
| dative | Arpīnō | — |
| accusative | Arpīnum | — |
| ablative | Arpīnō | — |
| vocative | Arpīnum | — |
| locative | Arpīnī | — |
Arpīnum, i, n.,
I. a town in Latium, the birthplace of Cicero and Marius, now Arpino, Cic. Att. 2, 8; cf. Mann. Ital. I. 676.— Hence,
II. Derivv.:
A. Arpīnas, ātis (nom. Arpinatis, Cato ap. Prisc. p. 629 P.; cf. Ardeatis), adj., of or pertaining to Arpinum:
fundus, Cic. Agr. 3, 2, 8: aquae, id. Att. 1, 16: iter, id. ib. 16, 13.—Subst.: Ar-pīnātes, ium, m., the inhabitants of Arpinum, Cic. Off. 1, 7, 21; so id. Att. 4, 7; 15, 15; so also Inscr. Orell. 571 (cf. Cic. Fam. 13, 11); Plin. 3, 5, 9, § 63: Arpinas (per antonomasiam) for Cicero, Symm. Carm. Ep. 1, 1; and for Marius, the countryman of Cicero (cf. Arpinum), Sid. Carm. 9, 259.—Origins
According to DNGI, probably from a personal name hinted by the common name suffix -inum. Probably of Eastern Italic origin, perhaps from a name ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₂érkʷo- (“something bent, arrow”) and showing the Oscan and Volscian shift kw > p. The root could instead be *h₂erk- (“to lock, guard”).
Descendants
- ItalianArpino