LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinesecond declension

asellus

asellus m (genitive asellī)

Meaning

  1. masculineSmall or young ass or donkey; diminutive of asinus
    Utque piger pandī tergō residēbat asellī.And as he was sitting lazily upon the back of his sagging little donkey (See Silenus.)8 CE, Ovidius, Fasti 3.749

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeasellusasellī
genitiveasellīasellōrum
dativeasellōasellīs
accusativeasellumasellōs
ablativeasellōasellīs
vocativeaselleasellī

ăsellus, i, m. dim. asinus,
I. a little ass, an ass's colt.
I. Lit.: dossuarius, Varr. R. R. 2, 6 fin.: asellus onustus auro, * Cic. Att. 1, 16: tardus, Verg. G. 1, 273: lente gradiens, Ov. M. 11, 179; so id. ib. 4, 27; Hor. S. 1, 9, 20; Vulg. Num. 16, 15; ib. Joan. 12, 14 al.—Prov.: narrare fabellam surdo asello, to preach to deaf ears, Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 199 (an imitation of a Greek proverb, Ὄνῳ τις ἔλεγε μῦθον · ὁ δὲ τὰ ὦτα ἐκίνει; cf. Schmid ad Hor. l. c.).—
II. Transf.
A. Of a man addicted to sensuality, Juv. 9, 92; Petr. 24 fin.; Hier. Vit. S. Hilar.—
B. Aselli, two stars in Cancer: Sunt in signo Cancri duae stellae parvae, Aselli appellati, Plin. 18, 35, 80, § 353; cf. Hyg. Astr 2, 23.—
C. A sea-fish much prized by the Romans, perh. cod or haddock, Varr. L. L. 5, § 77, p. 31 Müll.; cf. Plin. 9, 17, 28, § 61.—Prov.: post asellum diaria non sumo, after delicious fare I take no common food, Petr. 24.—
D. Asellus, a Roman cognomen, Cic. de Or. 2, 64, 258; Liv. 27, 41 al.

Origins

Proto-Indo-European *-lós Proto-Indo-European *-elós Proto-Italic *-elos Latin -lus Latin asellus From asinus + -lus (diminutive suffix).

Descendants
  • Italianasello
  • Italiannasello
  • Proto-Slavic*osьlъfrom Gothic 𐌰𐍃𐌹𐌻𐌿𐍃
  • Old Irishasal
  • Proto-West Germanic*asil
  • TranslingualAsellus

Quick answers

What does asellus mean in Latin?
asellus, a noun, means “Small or young ass or donkey; diminutive of asinus”.
What is the genitive of asellus?
The genitive singular is asellī. asellus is masculine, second declension.