LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininefirst declension

columba

columba f (genitive columbae, masculine columbus)
Classical[kɔˈɫʊm.ba]Ecclesiastical[koˈlum.ba]

Meaning

  1. femininedove, pigeon
  2. femininea term of endearment

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

avis Veneris
columba -ae (f) — in Aeneis, ch. 14

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativecolumbacolumbae
genitivecolumbaecolumbārum
dativecolumbaecolumbīs
accusativecolumbamcolumbās
ablativecolumbācolumbīs
vocativecolumbacolumbae

cŏlumba, ae, f. columbus,
I. a dove, pigeon, Cic. Ac. 2, 25, 79; id. Fin. 3, 5, 18; Plaut. As. 3, 3, 103; Varr. R. R. 3, 7; Col. 8, 8; Plin. 10, 34, 52, § 104; Pall. 1, 24; Ov. M. 1, 506; 5, 605; id. Am. 2, 6, 56; Hor. C. 1, 37, 18; 4, 4, 32; id. Epod. 16, 32; as sacred to Venus: Cythereiades, Ov. M. 15, 386; cf. Hyg. Fab. 197.—As a term of endearment, my dove, Plaut. Cas. 1, 1, 50 al.; cf. Vulg. Cant. 2, 10.

Origins

From Ancient Greek κόλυμβος (kólumbos, “a diver”), from κολυμβάω (kolumbáō, “dive, plunge headlong, swim”). (Aristophanes [Birds, 304] and others use the word κολυμβίς (kolumbís, “diver, sea-bird”).)

Descendants
  • Catalancoloma
  • Italiancolomba
  • Occitancolomba
  • Romaniancolumbă
  • EnglishColumba
  • FrenchColombe
  • SpanishColumba
  • Galiciancomba
  • Romanshcolumba
  • Sicilianculumma

Quick answers

What does columba mean in Latin?
columba, a noun, means “dove, pigeon; a term of endearment”.
What is the genitive of columba?
The genitive singular is columbae. columba is feminine, first declension.
How do you pronounce columba?
In classical Latin, [kɔˈɫʊm.ba]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [koˈlum.ba].