noun · masculinethird declension
canis1
canis m or f (genitive canis)
Classical[ˈka.nɪs]Ecclesiastical[ˈkaː.nis]
№ 687 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary
Meaning
- femininemasculinea dog, a hound (animal)
Petronius Cave canem.
Beware of the dog. - femininemasculinea ‘dog’ constellation or ‘dog’ star: either Canis Major, its brightest star Sirius; or Canis Minor, its brightest star Procyon
‘est Canis, Īcarium dīcunt, quō sīdere mōtō tosta sitit tellūs, praecipiturque seges’ ‘‘There is a Dog – they say [of?] Icarius – a star (or constellation), [and] where it has moved, the earth thirsts, [it] having been scorched, and the crop is seized beforehand.’’
(Maera (hound) found the body of Icarius (Athenian) and became the constellation Canis Minor with the bright ‘‘dog’’ star Procyon; it, along with Canis Major, the other celestial dog with its brighter ‘‘dog’’ star Sirius, were believed to cause late summer heat and drought.)8 CE, Ovidius, Fasti 4.939–940 - femininemasculinea dog, a hound, a bounder, a blackguard, a cad, a heel (foul person)
- femininemasculinea dog, a creature (human parasite or follower who depends on someone with great power and resources and bends to their will)
- femininemasculinea tiger, a dragon, a savage (a fierce or enraged person)
- femininemasculinethe lowest, worst throw at the dice, an ace
Talis enim iactatis, ut quisque canem aut senionem miserat, in singulos talos singulos denarios in medium conferebat, quos tollebat uniuersos, qui Venerem iecerat
When the tali (oblong dice) would be thrown, those who had gotten an ace or a six had to place a denarius in the middle of the table for each die thrown, the one that would achieve in getting a Venus (the best throw) won it all.121 CE, Suetonius, De Vita Caesarum, volume Aug.71:
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
animal fidēle, quod domum custōdit; sī quis aliēnus venit, canis lātrat.canis -is m/f — in Mille Verba, Domus et Familia
animal fidēle cūstōdiēnscanis -is (m) — in Metamorphoses I, †
dog
canis -is — in Viri Romae Facillimi, ch. 2, 14
a dog
canis — in Seneca, ch. IV
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | canis | canēs |
| genitive | canis | canum |
| dative | canī | canibus |
| accusative | canem | canēs |
| ablative | cane | canibus |
| vocative | canis | canēs |
cănis (cănes, Plaut. Men. 5, 1, 18; id. Trin. 1, 2, 133; 1, 2, 135; Enn. ap. Varr. L. L. 7, § 32 Müll., or Ann. v. 518 Vahl.; Lucil. ap. Varr. ib.; cf. Charis. 1, 17, p. 118 P.; abl. always cane;
I. gen. plur. canum; v. Neue, Formenl. pp. 223, 258 sq.), comm. Sanscr. cvan; Gr. κύων, κυνός; Germ. Hund; Engl. hound.
I. Lit., a dog.
A. In gen., v. Varr. R. R. 1, 21; 2, 9, 1 sqq.; Plin. 8, 40, 61, § 142 sqq.; Col. 7, 12, 1: tantidem quasi feta canes sine dentibus latrat, Enn. ap. Varr. L. L. 7, § 32 Müll. (Ann. v. 518 Vahl.):
introiit in aedĭs ater alienus canis, Ter. Phorm. 4, 4, 25: inritata canes, Lucil. ap. Charis. 1, p. 100 P.: canem inritatam imitarier, Plaut. Capt. 3, 1, 25: in Hyrcaniă plebs publicos alit canes, optumates domesticos: nobile autem genus canum illud scimus esse, etc., Cic. Tusc. 1, 45, 108: si lupi canibus similes sunt, id. Ac. 2, 16, 50: canes ut montivagae persaepe ferai Naribus inveniunt quietes, Lucr. 1, 405: canis acer, Hor. Epod. 12, 6: acres, Varr. R. R. 1, 21: acriores et vigilantiores, Cato, R. R. 124: assiduus, Col. R. R. 7, 12, 5: catenarius, Sen. Ira, 3, 37, 2: catenă vinctus, Petr. 29: Molossi, Hor. S. 2, 6, 115; cf. Lucr. 5, 1063: obscenae, Verg. G. 1, 470; Ov. F. 4, 936: pastoralis, Col. 7, 12, 3: pecuarius, id. 7, 12, 8: pulicosa, id. 7, 13, 2: rabidi, Lucr. 5, 892; Sen. Oedip. 932: rabiosus, Plin. 29, 4, 32, § 98: saeva canum rabies, Prop. 3, 16 (4, 15), 17; Plin. 8, 40, 63, § 152: est verunculus in linguă canum, quo exempto nec rabidi fuint, etc., id. 29, 4, 32, § 100: rabiosa. Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 75: venatici, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 13, § 31; Nep. Pel. 2, 5: alere canes ad venandum, Ter. And. 1, 1, 30; Curt. 9, 1, 31: vigiles, Hor. C. 3, 16, 2: canum fida custodia, Cic. N. D. 2, 63, 150: fida canum vis, Lucr. 6, 1222: levisomna canum fido cum pectore corda, id. 5, 864: caput mediae canis praecisae, Liv. 40, 6, 1; cf. Curt. 10, 9, 12: saepe citos egi per juga longa canes, Ov. H. 5, 20: canibus circumdare saltus, Verg. E. 10, 57: hos non inmissis canibus agitant, id. G. 3, 371: leporem canibus venari, id. ib. 3, 410.—B. Esp.
1. As a term of reproach, to denote,
a. A shameless, vile person, Plaut. Most. 1, 1, 40; Ter. Eun. 4, 7, 33 Donat. ad loc.; Hor. Epod. 6, 1; cf. id. S. 2, 2, 56; Petr. 74, 9; Suet. Vesp. 13. —
b. A fierce or enraged person, Plaut. Men. 5, 1, 14; 5, 1, 18; Hyg. Fab. 3; cf. Cic. Rosc. Am. 20, 57; Sen. Cons. Marc. 22, 5.—
2. As the regular designation of the hangers-on or parasites of an eminent or rich Roman; a follower, dog, creature:
multa sibi opus esse, multa canibus suis quos circa se habuit, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 48, § 126: cohors ista quorum hominum est? Volusii haruspices et Canelii medici et horum canum quos tribunal meum vides lambere, id. ib. 2, 3, 11, § 28: apponit de suis canibus quendam, id. ib. 2, 4, 19, § 40; 2, 5, 56, § 146; id. Att. 6, 3, 6; id. Pis. 10, 23.—3. In mythical lang.
a. Tergeminus, i. e. Cerberus. Ov. A. A. 3, 322; id. Tr. 4, 7, 16;
called also viperius, id. Am. 3, 12, 26: Tartareus, Sen. Herc. Fur. 649: triformis, id. Herc. Oet. 1202: Echidnaea. Ov. M. 7, 409; cf.: infernae canes, Hor. S. 1, 8, 35; Verg. A. 6, 257; Luc. 6, 733. —b. Semidei canes, Anubis, Luc. 8, 832.—
4. Prov.
a. Stultitia est venatum ducere invitas canes, Plaut. Stich. 1, 2, 82.—
b. Cane pejus et angui Vitare aliquid, Hor. Ep. 1, 17, 30.—
c. Ut canis a corio numquam absterrebitur uncto, will never be frightened from the greasy hide, Hor. S. 2, 5, 83.—
d. Canis caninam non ēst (cf. Engl. dog won't eat dog), Auct. ap. Varr. L. L. 7, § 32 Müll.—
e. A cane non magno saepe tenetur aper, Ov. R. Am. 422.—
5. CAVE CANEM, beware of the dog, a frequent inscription of warning to trespassers on doors, etc., Petr. 29; Varr. ap. Non. p. 153, 1; Inscr. Orell. 4320. —Hence:
Cave Canem, the title of a satire by Varro, Non. p. 75, 22.—II. Transf.
A. A constellation; the Dog.
1. Esp.:
Canis Major, or simply Canis, a constellation of twenty stars, Hyg. Astr. 3, 34; of which the brighest is Sirius or Canicula, Cic. N. D. 2, 44, 114; id. Arat. 108 (349); 123 (367); 138 (382); 276 (522); Vitr. 9, 5, 2; Verg. G. 1, 218; 2, 353; Hor. S. 1, 7, 25; id. Ep. 1, 10, 16; Tib. 3, 5, 2; Ov. F. 4, 904; Plin. 18, 26, 64, § 234 sqq.—2. Canis Minor, or Minusculus, the Little Dog, = Προκύων, commonly called Antecanis (hence the plur. canes), Vitr. 9, 52; Plin. 18, 28, 68, § 268; Ov. F. 4, 904.—Acc. to the fable, the dog of Erigone, daughter of Icarius;
hence, Erigoneïus, Ov. F. 5, 723, and Icarius, id. ib. 4, 939.—B. The sea-dog, called canis marinus, Plin. 9, 35, 55, § 110; and mythically, of the dogs of Scylla, Lucr. 5, 890; Verg. A. 3, 432; Tib. 3, 4, 89; Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 56, § 146; Luc. 1, 549 Cort.; Sen. Med. 351.—
C. The worst throw with dice, the dog-throw (cf. canicula and alea):
damnosi, Prop. 4 (5), 8, 46. Ov. Tr. 2, 474: canem mittere, Suet. Aug. 71; cf. Isid. Orig. 18, 65.—Prov.: tam facile quam canis excidit, Sen. Apocol. 10, 2.—D. A Cynic philosopher:
Diogenes cum choro canum suorum, Lact. Epit. 39, 4.—E. A kind of fetter, Plaut. Cas. 2, 6, 37 dub. (al. camum; v. camus); cf. 1. catulus.
Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
canis is, m and f
2 CAV-, a dog: ater alienus, T.: acer, H.: canes venatici: obscena, shameless, V.: Echidnea, i. e. Cerberus, O.: caeruleis canibus resonantia saxa, the barking mouths (of Scylla), V.: Infernae canes, the dogs of Hecate, H. —Sing collect.: trudit multā cane Apros, a pack, H.—Provv.: cane peius et angui vitare aliquid, H.: canis a corio numquam absterrebitur uncto, will never be frightened from the greasy hide, H.: canis timidus vehementius latrat quam mordet, his bark is worse than his bite, Cu.—Fig., a term of reproach, dog, T.; of a backbiter, H.; of a miser, H.; of parasites: multa canibus suis (opus esse).—Meton., the constellation, the Dog (canis maior, or Sirius; and canis minor, or Procyon): adverso cedens Canis occidit astro, i. e. goes down backwards, V.—In play, the worst throw (of dice), dog-throw (opp. Venus), O., Pr.
Origins
From earlier canēs. Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱwṓ, *ḱun- (“dog”), from earlier *ḱwón-s, whence also Ancient Greek κύων (kúōn), Sanskrit श्वन् (śván), though the expected outcome was formally much altered. The -a- gained a number of ad hoc explanations, such as a shift of *-wo- to *-wa- in open syllables, or of *-n̥- to -an- before vowels. The initial unrounded c- must have been levelled early into the rest of the inflection from the expected nominative outcome *cō, as *ḱw- would have regularly delabialised before a rounded vowel.
Balkano-Romance
- Romaniancâine
- Romaniancâne
- Aromaniancãni
- Aromaniancãne
- Aromaniancheni
- Istro-Romaniancăre
- Megleno-Romaniancǫini
Gallo-Romance
- Catalanca
- Occitancan
- Franco-Provençalchin
- Old Frenchchien
- Old Frenchkien
Ibero-Romance
- Portuguesecãofrom Old Galician-Portuguese can
- Spanishcan
- Aragonesecan
- Asturiancan
- Galiciancanfrom Old Galician-Portuguese can
Italo-Dalmatian
- Italiancane
- Corsicancane
- Dalmatiancun
- Dalmatiancuon
- Istriotcan
- Neapolitanquone
- Siciliancani
- Venetancan
Insular Romance
- Campidanesecani
- Nuoresecanefrom Logudorese cane
Rhaeto-Romance
- Friuliancjan
- Friuliančhan
- Ladincian
- Romanshchaun
- Romanshtgaun
- Romanshchan
Gallo-Italic
- Emiliancan
- Liguriancan
- Lombardcanfrom Old Lombard cjeun
- Piedmontesecanfrom Old Piedmontese cjeun
- Romagnolcân
- Romagnolcã
- Romagnolchên
- Romagnolchën
Borrowings
- Interlinguacan