LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinesecond declension

avus1

avus m (genitive avī)
Classical[ˈa.wʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈaː.vus]
Mille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. masculinegrandfather
    [...] māternō veniēns ab avō Cyllēnia prōlēs.[... Mercury, that] child of [Mount] Cyllene, approaching from [the mountain of] his maternal grandfather, [Atlas]. (Mount Atlas is personified as the Titan Atlas, father of Maia, the mother of Mercury, who was born on Mount Cyllene.)29 BCE – 19 BCE, Vergilius, Aeneis 4.258
  2. masculineancestor; progenitor; forefather; forebear
  3. masculineold man

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

pater patris tuī vel mātris tuae; senex est et multa scit.
avus -ī m — in Mille Verba, Domus et Familia
pater patris
avus -ī (m) — in Aeneis, ch. 16

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeavusavī
genitiveavīavōrum
avum
dativeavōavīs
accusativeavumavōs
ablativeavōavīs
vocativeaveavī

ăvus (AVS, Inscr. Fabr. 389, also ăvŏs), i, m. kindr. with Goth. avo, grandmother; old Norse, afi, grandfather; cf. Heb. , āb, father; Chald. , ἀββᾶ; and Engl. abbot,
I. a grandfather, grandsire.
I. Lit.: pater, avus, proavus, abavus, atavus, tritavus, Plaut. Pers. 1, 2, 5; so Ter. Phorm. 2, 3, 48; Cic. Cael. 14, 33; id. Mur. 7; Hor. S. 1, 6, 131; Vulg. Exod. 10, 6; cf. Dig. 38, 10, 1; 38, 10, 10; Isid. Orig. 9, 5, 9; 9, 6, 23.—Also transf. to animals (cf. 1. avitus, II.), Verg. G. 4, 209.—
II. In gen.
A. Ancestor, forefather, Hor. S. 1, 6, 3; Ov. F. 2, 30; id. H. 16 (15), 174; id. M. 9, 491; 15, 425; id. P. 4, 8, 18; Vulg. Gen. 28, 4 al.—
B. An old man, Albin. 2, 4.

Origins

From Proto-Indo-European *h₂éwh₂os (“grandfather, uncle”).

Descendants
  • Catalanavi
  • Frenchaïeul
  • Italianavo
  • Occitanavi
  • Romanianauș
  • Sardinianabu
  • Sardinianàviu
  • Sardinianavu
  • Aromanianaush
  • Lombardav
proper noun · masculinesecond declension
Avus2
Avus m sg (genitive Avī)
Classical[ˈa.wʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈaː.vus]

Meaning

  1. masculinesingulara river in Portugal; modern Ave

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeAvus—
genitiveAvī—
dativeAvō—
accusativeAvum—
ablativeAvō—
vocativeAve—

Origins

Of Celtic origin, from Proto-Celtic *abū (“river”).

Descendants
  • PortugueseAve

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

GeographyAvusAvus (Ptol. 2.6.1: Αὔου ποταμοῦ ἐκβολαί), or AVO (Mela, 3.1.8), a small river on the W. coast of Hispania Tarraconensis, N. of the Durius and S. of th…

Quick answers

What does avus mean in Latin?
avus, a noun, means “grandfather; ancestor; progenitor”.
What is the genitive of avus?
The genitive singular is avī. avus is masculine, second declension.
How do you pronounce avus?
In classical Latin, [ˈa.wʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈaː.vus].