LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininefirst declension

ascia

ascia f (genitive asciae)
Classical[ˈas.ki.a]Ecclesiastical[ˈaʃ.ʃi.a]

Meaning

  1. femininean axe
  2. femininea mason's trowel

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Ascia · Securis

Ascia is the carpenter’s axe, to split wood; securis, the butcher’s cleaver, to cut meat.

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeasciaasciae
genitiveasciaeasciārum
dativeasciaeasciīs
accusativeasciamasciās
ablativeasciāasciīs
vocativeasciaasciae

ascĭa, ae, f. kindred with ἀξίνη, an axe,
I. an axe for hewing wood, a carpenter's axe (syn.: securis, bipennis, ferrum).
I. Lit.: rogum asciā ne polito, Fragm. XII. Tab. ap. Cic Leg 2, 23; Plin. 7, 56, 57, § 198: tilia ascias retundit, id 16, 40, 76, § 207: in securi et asciā aliquid deicere, Vulg. Psa. 73, 6: lignum de saltu praecidit opus manūs artificis in asciā, ib. Jer. 10, 3.—Prov.. asciam sibi in crus impingere or illidere, to cut one's own legs, Petr 74, 16; cf. App. M. 3, p. 139, 6.—
II. Transf.
A. A mattock, a hoel asciae in aversā parte referentes rastros, Pall. 1, 43, 3—
B. A mason's trowel, Vitr. 7, 2; Pall. 1, 14; upon monuments such a trowel is found pictured, and in the inscription the expression SVB ASCIA or AD ASCIAM DEDICATVM, i. e. consecrated while yet under the trowel (prob this was done in order to protect the empty sepulchre from injury), Inscr Orell. 249, 4464; 4465; 4466; 4467: PATER ET MATER FILIO DVLCISSIMO AD ASCIAM DEDICATVM POSVERVNT, ib. 4468.

Origins

According to one version, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂egʷs-ih₂- (“axe”), from *h₂eḱ- (“sharp, pointed”) (see axe). According to De Vaan, it is not plausible since a sequence *ks is usually retained in intervocalic Latin, which implies borrowing from an unidentified source. It is possible that the consonant cluster underwent metathesis in a different (IE?) language before the word entered Latin.

Elsewhere
  • Catalanaixadafrom Vulgar Latin *asciāta
  • Catalaneixadafrom Vulgar Latin *asciāta
  • Catalanxadafrom Vulgar Latin *asciāta
  • Occitanaissadafrom Vulgar Latin *asciāta
  • Portugueseenxadafrom Vulgar Latin *asciāta
  • Portugueseaixadafrom Vulgar Latin *asciāta
  • Portugueseeixadafrom Vulgar Latin *asciāta
  • Portugueseinxadafrom Vulgar Latin *asciāta
  • Spanishazadafrom Vulgar Latin *asciāta
  • Late Latinasciola
Gallo-Romance
  • Catalanaixa
  • Spanishajafrom Catalan aixa
  • Frenchassefrom Old French aisse
  • Frenchaissettefrom Old French aisse
  • Frenchessettefrom Old French aisse
  • Frenchasseaufrom Old French aisse
Italo-Romance
  • Italianascia
  • Corsicanascia
  • Istriotasa
  • Neapolitanascia
  • Sicilianascia
Ibero-Romance
  • Portuguesearcha
North-Italian
  • Venetanassa

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

AntiquitiesAsciaAscia a tool employed in somewhat different forms for different purposes. 1. The σκέπαρνον of Homer (Hom. Od. 5.235, 9.391), used in working wood, and…

Quick answers

What does ascia mean in Latin?
ascia, a noun, means “an axe; a mason's trowel”.
What is the genitive of ascia?
The genitive singular is asciae. ascia is feminine, first declension.
How do you pronounce ascia?
In classical Latin, [ˈas.ki.a]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈaʃ.ʃi.a].