noun · femininethird declension
cornīx
cornīx f (genitive cornīcis)
Classical[ˈkɔr.niːks]Ecclesiastical[ˈkɔr.niks]
Meaning
- crow
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | cornīx | cornīcēs |
| genitive | cornīcis | cornīcum |
| dative | cornīcī | cornīcibus |
| accusative | cornīcem | cornīcēs |
| ablative | cornīce | cornīcibus |
| vocative | cornīx | cornīcēs |
cornix, īcis, f. kindred with corvus and κορώνη,
I. a crow, Lucr. 5, 1083:
rauca, id. 6, 753: garrula, Ov. M. 2, 548: loquax, id. F. 2, 89; Plin. 10, 12, 14, § 30 al.; renowned as being long lived, Lucr. 5, 1083; Cic. Tusc. 3, 28, 69; Hor. C. 3, 17, 13; Ov. M. 7, 274; Plin. 7, 48, 49, § 153 et saep.; its appearance on the left side was considered as a favorable omen, Plaut. As. 2, 1, 12; Cic. Div. 1, 39, 85; Verg. E. 9, 15; Phaedr. 3, 18, 12; cf. Suet. Dom. 23; and its cries as a sign of rain, Verg. G. 1, 388; Hor. C. 3, 17, 13.—Its eyes were used as a charm, Prop. 4 (5), 5, 16.Paley ad loc.—From its custom of attacking its prey first in the eyes is taken the proverb: cornicum oculos configere, to delude or deceive the most wary (Anglice, to catch a weasel asleep), Cic. Mur. 11, 25 (cited ap. Quint. 8, 3, 22); and ellipt.: cornici oculum, id. Fl. 20, 46 (cf. Schol. Bobiens. V. 2, p. 242 Orell.).Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
cornīx īcis, f
1 CAL-, CAR-, a crow: garrula, O.: Annosa, H.: novem saecula passa, O.: sinistra (a favorable omen), V.—Prov.: cornicum oculos configere, i. e. catch a weasel asleep.
Origins
From Proto-Indo-European *ḱorh₂- (“crow, raven”), imitative of harsh sounds. Compare Ancient Greek κορώνη (korṓnē, “crow, shearwater”), Lithuanian šárka (“magpie”), Serbo-Croatian svrȁka (“idem”), Ancient Greek κόραξ (kórax, “raven, crow”). See also corvus (“crow”), crociō (“to croak like a raven”), and possibly Sanskrit शारि॑ (śā́ri).
Italo-Romance
- Italiancornice