LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininethird declension

avis

avis f (genitive avis)
Classical[ˈa.wɪs]Ecclesiastical[ˈaː.vis]
№ 855 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. femininea bird
    Invitent croceis [apes] halantes floribus horti Et custos furum atque avium cum falce salignaMay gardens bright, fragrant with flower, lure them [the bees] and Hellespontian Priap with his willow scythe the robbing bee and the birds keep away.c. 37 BCE – 30 BCE, Vergilius, Georgicon 4.109–111
    et vēnērunt ad eum avēs multī colōris innumerābilēsand came to him countless birds of many colorsc. 833, Nennius, “Vita Patricii” (chapter III), in Historia Brittonum, page 54:
  2. femininefigurativelyomen; portent
    Near-synonym: mōnstrum

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

animal quod volat; pennās et ālās habet.
avis -is f — in Mille Verba, Animālia

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Ave · Salve · Vale

Ave (from εὖ) is a salutation used at meeting and at parting, like χαῖρε; whereas salve is used at meeting only, vale at parting, like ἔῤῥωσο. Suet. Galb. 4. Ut liberti mane salvere, vespere valere sibi singuli dicerent. (i. 28.)

Volucres · Aves · Alites

Volucres (from ἑλίξαι) means whatever flies, including winged insects, like πτηνός; whereas aves and alites mean only birds; avis (ἀετός) as a general term in natural history for any bird, like ὄρνις; ales (from ala) as a select expression only for a larger bird, like οἰωνός, especially the eagle, and alites is used in the language of the augurs as a technical term for those birds whose flight must be observed and interpreted, in opp. to oscines, or those birds whose song and cry must be interpreted. Ovid, Art. Am. iii. 410. Jovis in multis devolat ales aves. Hor. Od. iv. 2, 2. 4. Virg. Æn. xii. 247. Cic. N. D. ii. 64. (v. 207.)

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeavis
avicula		avēs
aviculae
genitiveavis
aviculae		avium
aviculārum
dativeavī
aviculae		avibus
aviculīs
accusativeavem
aviculam		avēs
avīs, aviculās
ablativeave
avī, aviculā		avibus
aviculīs
vocativeavis
avicula		avēs
aviculae

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

aves (alites, oscines) addīcunt alicui (opp. abdicunt aliquid)
the omens are favourable to some one.

ăvis, is, f. (
I. abl. sing. avi and ave; cf. Varr. L. L. 8, § 66 Müll.; Prisc. p. 765 P.; Rhem. Palaem. p. 1374 P.; Neue, Formenl. I. pp. 218, 222; in the lang. of religion, the form avi is most common; v. infra) [cf. Sanscr. vā (which may imply av), to blow (to wave); vis, a bird; Zend, vi; with which Curt. compares οἰ-ωνός, a large bird, and Benfey αἰ-ετός, an eagle].
I. Lit., a bird; or collect., the winged tribe: Liber captivos avis ferae consimilis est, Plaut. Capt. 1, 2, 7: videmus novis avibus canere undique silvas, Lucr. 1, 256: arguta, Prop. 1, 18, 30: istā enim avi (sc. aquilā) volat nulla vehementius, Cic. Div. 2, 70, 144: ave ad perfugia litorum tendente, Plin. 10, 3, 3, § 9; Vulg. Gen. 1, 2; ib. Deut. 4, 17; ib. Marc. 4, 32; ib. Luc. 13, 34 et saep.—In Varr. once of bees: de incredibili earum avium naturā audi, Varr. R. R. 3, 16, 3.—A description of birds is found ap. Plin. lib. 10; of their habits, ap. Varr. R. R. 3, 3 sq. and ap. Col. 8, 1 sq.—
II. Transf.
A. Esp., in reference to auguries, since the Romans took their omens or auguries from birds (v. augurium and auspicium): post quam avem aspexit templo Anchises, Naev. ap. Prob. ad Verg. E. 6, 31.—Hence, avis, meton., = omen a sign, omen, portent, freq. with the epithets bona, mala, sinistra ( = bona; v. sinister), adversa, etc.: liquido exeo foras Auspicio avi sinistrā, Plaut. Ep. 2, 2, 2: ducam legiones meas Avi sinistrā, auspicio liquido atque ex sententiā, id. Ps. 2, 4, 72: solvere secundo rumore aversāque avi, poët. ap. Cic. Div. 1, 16, 29, where B. and K. read adversā: malā ducis avi domum, with a bad omen, Hor. C. 1, 15, 5: este bonis avibus visi natoque mihique, Ov. F. 1, 513; so id. M. 15, 640: di, qui secundis avibus in proelium miserint, Liv. 6, 12, 9: Quā ego hunc amorem mihi esse avi dicam datum? Plaut. Cas. 3, 4, 26: Hac veniat natalis avi, Tib. 2, 2, 21.—In abl., form ave: tunc ave deceptus falsā, Ov. M. 5, 147.—
B. Comically, for a man in the garb of a bird: Sed quae nam illaec est avis, quae huc cum tunicis advenit? Plaut. Poen. 5, 2, 15.—
C. Avis alba, v. albus, I. B. 3. e.

Origins

Inherited from Proto-Italic *awis. Cognates include Ancient Greek ᾱ̓ετός (āetós), and Sanskrit वि (ví), and Albanian vito (“dove”).

Descendants
  • Catalanau
  • Portugueseavefrom Old Galician-Portuguese ave
  • Sardinianave
  • Sardinianae
  • Spanishavefrom Old Spanish ave
  • Aragoneseau
  • Galicianavefrom Old Galician-Portuguese ave

Quick answers

What does avis mean in Latin?
avis, a noun, means “a bird; omen; portent”.
What is the genitive of avis?
The genitive singular is avis. avis is feminine, third declension.
How do you pronounce avis?
In classical Latin, [ˈa.wɪs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈaː.vis].