What does caterva mean in Latin?

caterva, a noun, means “a crowd, a band, a troop, a retinue; a group, flock, pack (of animals)”.

What is the genitive of caterva?

The genitive singular is catervae. caterva is feminine, first declension.

How do you pronounce caterva?

In classical Latin, [kaˈtɛr.wa]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [kaˈtɛr.va].

caterva, catervae — meaning & declension

Meaning

femininea crowd, a band, a troop, a retinue
rēgīna ad templum fōrmā pulcherrima Dīdō incessit magnā iuvenum stīpante catervā The queen [arrives] at the temple – the exceedingly beautiful Dido – striding [in all her majesty] with a large retinue of youths escorting [her].29 BCE – 19 BCE, Vergilius, Aeneis 1.496–497
femininea group, flock, pack (of animals)
Miserum funestumque spectāmen aspexī: Thrasyleōnem nostrum catervīs canum saevientium cīnctum atque obsessum multīsque numerō morsibus laniātum.I witnessed a pitiable and dismal spectacle: our Thrasyleon was surrounded and besieged by packs of fierce dogs and wounded by a great number of bites.c. 125 CE – 180 CE, Apuleius, Metamorphoses 4.20

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

turba cōnferta

caterva -ae (f) — in IVLIANVS III: Persia, ch. 10

turba ūnum comitāns

caterva -ae (f) — in Aeneis, ch. 4

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Caterva · Cohors · Agmen · Grex · Globus · Turba

Caterva, cohors, and agmen, denote an assembled multitude in regular order, and caterva, as a limited whole, according to a sort of military arrangement; cohors, as respecting and observing the leadership of a commanding officer; agmen, as a solemn procession; whereas turba, grex, and globus, denote a multitude assembled in no regular order, grex, without form or order; turba, with positive disorder and confusion; globus, a thronging mass of people, which, from each person pressing towards the centre, assumes a circular form. (v. 361.)

Declension

declension
form	singular	plural
nominative	caterva	catervae
genitive	catervae	catervārum
dative	catervae	catervīs
accusative	catervam	catervās
ablative	catervā	catervīs
vocative	caterva	catervae

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

caterva, chorus: the Chorus in Tragedy.
familia, grex, caterva histrionum: a theatrical company.

căterva, ae, f.,

I. a crowd, troop, a band of men; in the sing. and plur. (class. in prose and poet.; syn.: turba, manus, agmen).

I. In gen.: comitum, Lucr. 2, 628; cf. id. 2, 611; Verg. A. 1, 497; 11, 533; Ov. M. 12, 216: Postumius obviam cum bene magnā catervā suā venit, Cic. Mur. 33, 69; so id. de Or. 1, 40, 184; cf. Sall. C. 14, 1: catervae testium, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 43, § 113: contra dicentium, id. Tusc. 1, 31, 77: pugilum, Suet. Calig. 18: infernae, Tib. 1, 2, 47 al.— Poet., of animals: pecudum, Lucr. 6, 1092: avium, flocks, Verg. A. 11, 456: canum, App. M. 4, p. 151, 26: anguinea, Tib. 3, 4, 87.—

B. Trop.: verborum. a farrago of words, Gell. 15, 2, 3.—

II. Esp.

A. In milit. lang. freq., a body of soldiers, a troop, company, band; esp. of the loose order of barbarian nations (opp. to the Roman legions); cf. Veg. Mil. 2, 2; Isid. Orig. 9, 3, 46; so Nep. Chabr. 1, 2; Tac. A. 1, 56; 2, 17; 2, 45; 12, 33; Tib. 1, 2, 67; Verg. A. 8, 593; 12, 264; Hor. C. 1, 8, 16 al.—Of foot-soldiers (opp. equites), Verg. A. 7, 804; 11, 433; Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 190.—Rare of Roman troops, Petr. poët. 124, 281; or of cavalry, Sen. Agam. 598.—

B. In dramatic lang., the whole company or troop of actors (usu. called grex). Plaut. Capt. fin.; and perh. also id. Cas. fin.; cf. Cic. de. Or 3, 50, 196; id. Sest. 55. 118.

Origins

Inherited from Proto-Italic *katerwā, of uncertain origin, though Clayton (2024) suggests Proto-Indo-European *ḱátwr̥ (“hostility”). Perhaps related to cassis (“net”) and catēna (“chain”), from Proto-Indo-European *kat- (“to link or weave together; chain, net”). Also compare Albanian thes (“sack, bag”).

Descendants

Catalancaterva
Italiancaterva
Portuguesecaterva
Portuguesecatrefa
Portuguesecatréfia
Spanishcaterva
Siciliancaterba