LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinesecond declension

asparagus

asparagus m (genitive asparagī)
Classical[asˈpa.ra.ɡʊs]Ecclesiastical[asˈpaː.ra.ɡus]

Meaning

  1. masculineasparagus; shoot, sprout-like asparagus, samphire
    Deinde fossulās facitō, quō rādīcēs asparagī dēmittās.Then make little ditches to drop the asparagus roots into.c. 160 BCE, Marcus Porcius Cato, De agri cultura, archived from the original on 03 Apr 2022, chapter 161:
    Cōtīdiānō sermōne quaedam frequenter et nōtābilius ūsurpāsse eum [Augustum], litterae ipsius autographae ostendunt, in quibus [...] ad exprimendam festīnātae reī vēlōcitātem, celerius quam asparagī cocuntur; [...]That in daily conversation he [Augustus] often and famously used certain [expressions], his own handwritten letters show; among these, … to express the speed of a thing done quickly, faster than asparaguses are cooked; …121 CE, Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, “Divus Augustus”, in De Vita Caesarum, chapter 87:

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeasparagusasparagī
genitiveasparagīasparagōrum
dativeasparagōasparagīs
accusativeasparagumasparagōs
ablativeasparagōasparagīs
vocativeasparageasparagī

aspărăgus (asph-, App. Herb. 84), i, m., = ἀσπάραγος (ἀσφ-).
I. Asparagus, Cato, R. R. 6, 3; 6, 61, Col. 11, 3, 45; Plin. 19, 8, 42, § 145 sqq.; 19, 4, 19, § 54; Juv 11, 69; Suet. Aug. 87 (perh. in Varr. ap. Non. p. 550, 11, asparagos should be read instead of sparagos).—
II. A sprout, a shoot, like asparagus, Plin. 23, 1, 17, § 24; 21, 15, 54, § 91.

Origins

Also found in Medieval Latin. From Ancient Greek ἀσπάραγος (aspáragos), variant of ἀσφάραγος (aspháragos).

Descendants
  • Catalanespàrrec
  • Englishasparagus
  • Frenchasperge
  • GermanSpargel
  • Italianasparago
  • Occitanesparga
  • Portugueseaspargo
  • Portugueseespargo
  • Sardiniansparàu
  • Sardinianisparàu

In English words that came into English from asparagus

  • asparagusasparagus
  • asparagineasparagus

Quick answers

What does asparagus mean in Latin?
asparagus, a noun, means “asparagus; shoot, sprout-like asparagus, samphire”.
What is the genitive of asparagus?
The genitive singular is asparagī. asparagus is masculine, second declension.
How do you pronounce asparagus?
In classical Latin, [asˈpa.ra.ɡʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [asˈpaː.ra.ɡus].