LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinethird declension

auceps

auceps m (genitive aucupis)
Classical[ˈau̯.kɛps]Ecclesiastical[ˈaːu̯.t͡ʃeps]

Meaning

  1. masculinea bird-catcher; fowler
  2. figurativelymasculineeavesdropper

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeaucepsaucupēs
genitiveaucupisaucupum
dativeaucupīaucupibus
accusativeaucupemaucupēs
ablativeaucupeaucupibus
vocativeaucepsaucupēs

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

syllabarum auceps
a verbal, petty critic; a caviller.

auceps, cŭpis (cipis, acc. to Vel. Long. Orthogr. p. 2235), comm. contr. for aviceps, from avis-capio,
I. a bird-catcher, fowler.
I. Lit.: Piscator, pistor apstulit, lanii, coqui, Holitores, myropolae, aucupes, Plaut. Trin. 2, 4, 7: veluti merulis intentus decidit auceps In puteum, Hor. A. P. 458: quasi avis de manu aucupis, Vulg. Prov. 6, 5; ib. Jer. 5, 26; ib. Amos, 3, 5: as a bird-seller: Edicit piscator uti, pomarius, auceps, Hor. S. 2, 3, 227: Non avis aucupibus monstrat, quā parte petatur, Ov. A. A. 3, 669 al.—
II. Trop., a spy, eavesdropper: circumspice dum, ne quis nostro hic auceps sermoni siet, Plaut. Mil. 4, 1, 9 (cf. id. ib. 3, 1, 14: ne quis... nostro consilio venator adsit cum auritis plagis): Numquis hic est alienus nostris dictis auceps auribus, id. Stich. 1, 2, 45: voluptatum auceps, Cic. Ac. Fragm. ap. Aug. contra Ac. 3, 7 (Orell. IV. 2, p. 470): praeco actionum, cantor formularum, auceps syllabarum, a minute and trifling critic, a caviller, id. de Or. 1, 55, 236.

Origins

From prehistoric *awikaps. By surface analysis, avis (“bird”) + -ceps (“catcher”).

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

AntiquitiesAucepsAuceps a bird-catcher, fowler (Ov. A. A. 3.669; Varr. L. L. 8.61, and ap. Non. 1, 97), the occupation called aucupium (Pallad. 13.6). The Romans, like…

Quick answers

What does auceps mean in Latin?
auceps, a noun, means “a bird-catcher; fowler; eavesdropper”.
What is the genitive of auceps?
The genitive singular is aucupis. auceps is masculine, third declension.
How do you pronounce auceps?
In classical Latin, [ˈau̯.kɛps]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈaːu̯.t͡ʃeps].