LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · neutersecond declension

cerebrum

cerebrum n (genitive cerebrī)
Classical[ˈkɛ.rɛ.brũː]Ecclesiastical[ˈt͡ʃɛː.re.brum]
Mille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. neutera brain
    carbonumque gravis vis atque odor insinuatur / quam facile in cerebrum, nisi aqua praecepimus ante!And how the heavy fumes of charcoal wind their way / Readily into the brain, unless beforehand of water we've drunk!ca. 60 BCE, Titus Lucretius Carus, De Rerum Natura, Book 6, Lines 802-3
  2. metonymicallyneuterunderstanding; anger, choler
  3. neutera skull
  4. neuteran upper pith

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

quod intrā caput est; eō cōgitāmus.
cerebrum -ī n — in Mille Verba, Corpus Hūmānum

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativecerebrumcerebra
genitivecerebrīcerebrōrum
dativecerebrōcerebrīs
accusativecerebrumcerebra
ablativecerebrōcerebrīs
vocativecerebrumcerebra

cĕrē^brum (per tmesin: saxo cerecomminuit-brum, Enn. ap. Don. p. 1777 P., and ap. Serv. ad Verg. A. 1, 412), i, n. root kar- of κάρη, v. celsus init.; and root bharof φέρω, fero; cf. Corss. Beitr. p. 354,
I. the brain, Plaut. Cas. 3, 5, 19; Ter. Ad. 4, 2, 32; 5, 2, 7; Verg. A. 5, 413; 9, 419; Lucr. 6, 804; Cic. Tusc. 1, 9, 19; Plin. 11, 37, 49, § 133 sq.; 33, 6, 34, § 102 et saep.—
B. Meton., understanding, Plaut. Aul. 2, 1, 30; Hor. S. 2, 3, 75; Phaedr. 1, 7, 2; Suet. Calig. 50.—Anger, choler, Plaut. Poen. 3, 5, 25; cf. id. Bacch. 2, 3, 17: o te, Bolane, cerebri Felicem! ( = cerebrosus, passionate), Hor. S. 1, 9, 11.— *
II. Transf. to plants, the pith in the upper part, Plin. 13, 4, 8, § 36.

Origins

From Proto-Italic *kerazrom, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱerh₂srom, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱerh₂-. Compare Ancient Greek κᾰ́ρᾱ (kắrā, “a head, face”).

Descendants
  • Italiancerebro
  • Englishcerebrumfrom Middle English cerebrum
  • Portuguesecérebro
  • Spanishcerebro
  • Asturiancelebru
  • Asturiancerebru
  • Esperantocerbo
  • Galiciancerebro
  • Idocerebro
  • Interlinguacerebro

In English words that came into English from cerebrum

  • cerebralcerebrum
  • cerebrumcerebrum
  • cerebellumcerebellum
  • saveloycerebellum
  • cerebratecerebrum
  • cervelatcerebellum
  • cerebrationcerebrum
  • excerebrationexcerebratus
  • syncerebrumcerebrum

Quick answers

What does cerebrum mean in Latin?
cerebrum, a noun, means “a brain; a skull; an upper pith”.
What is the genitive of cerebrum?
The genitive singular is cerebrī. cerebrum is neuter, second declension.
How do you pronounce cerebrum?
In classical Latin, [ˈkɛ.rɛ.brũː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈt͡ʃɛː.re.brum].
Which English words come from cerebrum?
English words that go back to Latin cerebrum include cerebral, cerebrum, cerebrate, cerebration, syncerebrum and cerebellum.