LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
adjectivethird-declension one-termination adjective

biceps

biceps (genitive bicipitis)
Classical[ˈbɪ.kɛps]Ecclesiastical[ˈbiː.t͡ʃeps]

Meaning

  1. one terminationdouble-headed, having two heads
    Iane biceps, anni tacite labentis origo.Two-headed Janus, source of the quietly passing year8 CE, Ovidius, Fasti 1.65
  2. one terminationhaving two summits or peaks
    Ardet in inmensum geminatis ignibus Aetne Parnasosque biceps et Eryx et Cynthus et Othrys. Aetna blazes in immense doubled flames8 CE, Ovidius, Metamorphoses 2.221
  3. one terminationdouble-edged
    Acuta quasi gladius biceps.As sharp as a two-edged sword.Late 4th century, Jerome [et al.], transl., edited by Roger Gryson, Biblia Sacra: Iuxta Vulgatam Versionem (Vulgate), 5th edition, Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, published 2007, →ISBN, 5:4b:
  4. broadlyone terminationdivided into two parts

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativebicepsbicepsbiceps
genitivebicipitisbicipitisbicipitis
dativebicipitībicipitībicipitī
accusativebicipitembicipitembiceps
ablativebicipitī
bicipite		bicipitī
bicipite		bicipitī
bicipite
vocativebicepsbicepsbiceps
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativebicipitēsbicipitēsbicipitia
genitivebicipitiumbicipitiumbicipitium
dativebicipitibusbicipitibusbicipitibus
accusativebicipitīs
bicipitēs		bicipitīs
bicipitēs		bicipitia
ablativebicipitibusbicipitibusbicipitibus
vocativebicipitēsbicipitēsbicipitia

bĭceps, cĭpĭtis (old form bĭcĭpes, like ancipes for anceps, acc. to Prisc. p. 754 P.; bĭcepsŏs, Varr. L. L. 5, § 50 Müll.; bĭ-căpĭtes, δικέφαλοι, Gloss. Philox.), adj. bis-caput.
I. Having two heads, twoheaded (rare but class.): puella nata biceps, * Cic. Div. 1, 53, 121: puer, Liv. 41, 21, 12: porcus, id. 28, 11, 3: Janus, Ov. F. 1, 65; id. P. 4, 4, 23: serpens, Plin. 10, 62, 82, § 169: partus, Tac. A. 15, 47: gladius, with two edges, Vulg. Prov. 5, 4.—Poet., of mountains, with two summits: Parnasus, Ov. M. 2, 221; cf. id. ib. 1, 316; Luc. 5, 72; Pers. prol. 2.—
II. Trop., divided into two parts: bicipitem civitatem fecit, discordiarum civilium fontem, Varr. ap. Non. p. 454, 23; Flor. 3, 17, 3: argumentum, i. e. a dilemma, App. Flor. 4, n. 18.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*dwóh₁
  2. Latinbiceps

Proto-Indo-European *trísinflu. Proto-Indo-European *dwís Proto-Italic *dwis Old Latin duis Latin bis substratebor.? Proto-Indo-European *kap-? Proto-Indo-European *kap- Proto-Indo-European *káput Proto-Italic *kaput Proto-Italic *-is Proto-Italic *-kaputis Old Latin -cipesder. Latin -ceps Latin biceps From bis (“twice”) + -ceps (“headed”).

Descendants
  • Catalanbíceps
  • Englishbiceps
  • Englishbicipital
  • Frenchbiceps
  • Italianbicipite
  • Portuguesebíceps
  • Romanianbiceps
  • Spanishbíceps
  • Asturianbíceps
  • Galicianbíceps

Quick answers

What does biceps mean in Latin?
biceps, a adjective, means “double-headed, having two heads; having two summits or peaks; double-edged”.
How do you pronounce biceps?
In classical Latin, [ˈbɪ.kɛps]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈbiː.t͡ʃeps].
Where does biceps come from?
Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ → Latin biceps.