LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective

bassus1

bassus (feminine bassa, neuter bassum)
Classical[ˈbas.sʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈbas.sus]

Meaning

  1. Late LatinMedieval Latinadjectivethick, fat, stumpy, short, low, base

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativebassusbassabassum
genitivebassībassaebassī
dativebassōbassaebassō
accusativebassumbassambassum
ablativebassōbassābassō
vocativebassebassabassum
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativebassībassaebassa
genitivebassōrumbassārumbassōrum
dativebassīsbassīsbassīs
accusativebassōsbassāsbassa
ablativebassīsbassīsbassīs
vocativebassībassaebassa

Origins

Possibly borrowed from Ancient Greek βάσις (básis) or βαθύς (bathús), or possibly borrowed from Oscan, or possibly borrowed from a Celtic language.

Descendants
  • Catalanbaix
  • Italianbasso
  • Occitanbas
  • Occitanbaish
  • Frenchbasfrom Old French bas
  • Englishbasefrom Old French bas
  • Englishbassfrom Old French bas
  • Portuguesebaixofrom Old Galician-Portuguese baixo
  • Spanishbajo
  • Spanishbaxo

In English words that came into English from bassus

  • basebassus
  • debasebassus
  • bassobassus
proper noun · masculinesecond declension
Bassus2
Bassus m sg (genitive Bassī)
Classical[ˈbas.sʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈbas.sus]

Meaning

  1. masculinesingularA Roman cognomen — famously held by
  2. masculinesingularAufidius Bassus, a Roman historian

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeBassus—
genitiveBassī—
dativeBassō—
accusativeBassum—
ablativeBassō—
vocativeBasse—

Bassus, i, m.,
I. a family cognomen; e. g.
I. A poet, a friend of Martial, Mart. 3, 76, 1 al.—
II. Q. Caecilius Bassus, quœstor A. U. C. 695, Cic. Phil. 11, 13, 32; id. Att. 2, 9, 1; 14, 9, 3; id. Fam. 11, 1, 4; 12, 18, 1.—
III. Lucilius Bassus, Cic. Att. 12, 5, 2.

Origins

From bassus (“short, low”).

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

Biography & mythologyBassusBassus. occurs several times in the ancient authors as the name of a medical writer, sometimes without any praenomen, sometimes called Julius and some…

Quick answers

What does bassus mean in Latin?
bassus, a adjective, means “thick, fat, stumpy, short, low, base”.
How do you pronounce bassus?
In classical Latin, [ˈbas.sʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈbas.sus].
Which English words come from bassus?
English words that go back to Latin bassus include base, debase and basso.