LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinesecond declension

asīlus

asīlus m (genitive asīlī)
Classical[aˈsiː.ɫʊs]Ecclesiastical[aˈs̬iː.lus]

Meaning

  1. archaicpoeticgadfly, horsefly

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeasīlusasīlī
genitiveasīlīasīlōrum
dativeasīlōasīlīs
accusativeasīlumasīlōs
ablativeasīlōasīlīs
vocativeasīleasīlī

ăsīlus, i, m.,
I. a gad-fly, horse-fly, usu. tabanus (cf. Plin. 11, 28, 34, § 100); Gr. οἶστρος (cf. Isid. Orig. 12, 8, 15), Verg. G. 3, 147 (cf. Hom. Od. 22, 300). (Even in Seneca's time the word was antiquated; v. Sen. Ep. 58; cf. Plin. 11, 28, 34, § 100.)

Origins

Unknown. De Vaan (2008) considers it a borrowing given the initial as- instead of a rhotacised ar- or a regularly degeminated ās- following a long vowel (< *āss-/āts-). However, the present form would in fact be a regular outcome of *ass-ī/ei-los under the "mamilla-rule", as also in pusillus, ofella. Compare asinus, likewise of obscure origin.

Italo-Romance
  • Italianassillo
  • Siciliansiḍḍu
Borrowings
  • TranslingualAsilus

Quick answers

What does asīlus mean in Latin?
asīlus, a noun, means “gadfly, horsefly”.
What is the genitive of asīlus?
The genitive singular is asīlī. asīlus is masculine, second declension.
How do you pronounce asīlus?
In classical Latin, [aˈsiː.ɫʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [aˈs̬iː.lus].