LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinesecond declension

caprimulgus

caprimulgus m (genitive caprimulgī)
Classical[ka.prɪˈmʊɫ.ɡʊs]Ecclesiastical[ka.priˈmul.ɡus]

Meaning

  1. masculinea milker of goats
  2. masculinea nightjar (from the belief that they sucked the milk from goats)

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativecaprimulguscaprimulgī
genitivecaprimulgīcaprimulgōrum
dativecaprimulgōcaprimulgīs
accusativecaprimulgumcaprimulgōs
ablativecaprimulgōcaprimulgīs
vocativecaprimulgecaprimulgī

căprĭmulgus, i, m. caper-mulgeo. *
I. A milker of goats, poet. for countryman, Cat. 22, 10.—
II. A bird supposed to suck the udders of goats, the goat-sucker, Plin. 10, 40, 56, § 115.

Origins

From capra (“she-goat”) + mulgeō (“to milk”) + -us. The sense "nightjar" is first attested in Pliny the Elder's Naturalis historia and represents a partial calque of Ancient Greek αἰγοθήλας (aigothḗlas), following Aristotle's claim in Historia animalium that certain nocturnal birds - often identified as nightjars - suck milk from the udders of goats.

Descendants
  • Italiancaprimulgo
  • TranslingualCaprimulgus
  • Dutchgeitenmelker

Quick answers

What does caprimulgus mean in Latin?
caprimulgus, a noun, means “a milker of goats; a nightjar (from the belief that they sucked the milk from goats)”.
What is the genitive of caprimulgus?
The genitive singular is caprimulgī. caprimulgus is masculine, second declension.
How do you pronounce caprimulgus?
In classical Latin, [ka.prɪˈmʊɫ.ɡʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ka.priˈmul.ɡus].