LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinesecond declension

carduus

carduus m (genitive carduī)
Classical[ˈkar.du.ʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈkar.du.us]

Meaning

  1. masculinea wild thistle
  2. masculinethe artichoke

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativecarduuscarduī
cardī
genitivecarduī
cardī		carduōrum
cardōrum
dativecarduōcarduīs
cardīs
accusativecarduum
cardum		carduōs
cardōs
ablativecarduōcarduīs
cardīs
vocativecardue
carde		carduī
cardī

carduus, i (access. form cardus, ūs, Edict. Diocl. p. 17; cf. Charis. p. 57 P.), m.,
I. the thistle.
1. The wild thistle, Verg. G. 1, 152; Col. 7, 8, 1; Plin. 20, 23, 99, § 262; Veg. 1, 7, 14.—
2. The esculent thistle or artichoke, = cinara, Plin. 19, 8, 43, § 152 sq.; Pall. Mart. 9, 1, 3; id. Oct. 11, 1.

Origins

Possibly from Proto-Indo-European *kers- (“to scratch, scrape, rub, card”), cognate with Middle Low German harsch (“hairy”), Russian короста (korosta, “scab”), Old Church Slavonic краста (krasta), Lithuanian karsiu (“to comb”). This root may itself be a metathesis of *kes-r-, *kser- (cf. *ksen-), from *kes-.

Elsewhere
  • Italiancardo
  • Italiancardonefrom Old Occitan cardon
  • Frenchcardonfrom Old Occitan cardon
  • Englishcardoonfrom Old Occitan cardon
  • Catalancardfrom Old Occitan carda
  • Frenchcardefrom Old Occitan carda
  • Englishchardfrom Old Occitan carda
  • Romaniancardafrom Old Occitan carda
  • Englishcardfrom Old Occitan carda
  • Siciliancardunifrom Old Occitan cardon
Old French
  • Frenchchardon
Old Galician-Portuguese
  • Portuguesecardo
  • Galiciancardo
Old Spanish
  • Spanishcardo
Old Leonese
  • Asturiancardu
  • Asturiangarduñar

In English words that came into English from carduus

  • chardcarduus
  • cardooncardo
  • cardoncardo
  • carlinecarlina

Quick answers

What does carduus mean in Latin?
carduus, a noun, means “a wild thistle; the artichoke”.
What is the genitive of carduus?
The genitive singular is carduī. carduus is masculine, second declension.
How do you pronounce carduus?
In classical Latin, [ˈkar.du.ʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈkar.du.us].
Which English words come from carduus?
English words that go back to Latin carduus include chard, cardoon, cardon and carline.