LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective

calvus

calvus (feminine calva, neuter calvum)
Classical[ˈkaɫ.wʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈkal.vus]

Meaning

  1. adjectivehairless, bald

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativecalvuscalvacalvum
genitivecalvīcalvaecalvī
dativecalvōcalvaecalvō
accusativecalvumcalvamcalvum
ablativecalvōcalvācalvō
vocativecalvecalvacalvum
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativecalvīcalvaecalva
genitivecalvōrumcalvārumcalvōrum
dativecalvīscalvīscalvīs
accusativecalvōscalvāscalva
ablativecalvīscalvīscalvīs
vocativecalvīcalvaecalva

calvus, a, um, adj. cf. O. H. Germ. chalo; Germ. kahl,
I. bald, without hair (whether by nature or by shaving or shearing; rare; not in Lucr., Cic., Hor., or Verg.): raso capite calvus, Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 306: senex, Petr. 27; Suet. Calig. 27: moechus, id. Caes. 51; Phaedr. 2, 2, 9; 5, 3, 1; 5, 6, 1.—
2. Subst.: calva, ae, f., the scalp without hair, Liv. 23, 24, 12; Mart. 10, 83, 12; 12, 45, 12.—
B. Venus Calva, worshipped in a particular temple after the irruption of the Gauls (as it is pretended, because at that time the women cut off their hair for bowstrings), Lact. 1, 20, 7; Cypr. Idol. Van. 2, 10; Veg. Mil. 4, 9; cf. Serv. ad Verg. A. 1, 720.—
II. Transf. to plants: vinea a vite calva, Cato, R. R. 33, 3 (cf. Plin. 17, 22, 35, § 196, s. v. calvatus): nuces, with smooth shells, Cato, R. R. 8, 2 (quoted in Plin. 15, 22, 24, § 90, where in MSS. the var. lect. galbas prob. arose from a false orthography of a later time; cf. the letter B fin.): calvae restes, Mart. 12, 32, 20.—Also,
B. Subst.: calva, ae, f., a nut with a smooth shell, Petr. 66, 4.
Calvus, i, m.,
I. a cognomen of several persons, especially of the poet and orator C. Licinius; v. Licinius.

Origins

The term may be compared to Sanskrit कुल्व (kulvá, “bald”), itself from Proto-Indo-European *kl̥H-wó-s. However, the sequence *-lw- may yield Latin -ll-, which—according to De Vaan—indicates that the Latin term must derive from earlier *kalVwos, itself from earlier *kl̥H-e/o-wo-.

Descendants
  • Catalancalb
  • Englishcalvous
  • Frenchchauve
  • Italiancalvo
  • Occitancau
  • EnglishCalvinfrom Old French chauve
  • Portuguesecalvo
  • Spanishcalvo
  • Asturiancalvu
  • Corsicancalvu

Quick answers

What does calvus mean in Latin?
calvus, a adjective, means “hairless, bald”.
How do you pronounce calvus?
In classical Latin, [ˈkaɫ.wʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈkal.vus].