adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective
cornūtus1
cornūtus (feminine cornūta, neuter cornūtum)
Classical[kɔrˈnuː.tʊs]Ecclesiastical[korˈnuː.tus]
cornūtī pl. nom. m.; sg. gen. m.; sg. gen. n.; pl. voc. m.
Meaning
- adjectivehorned, having horns
- Medieval LatinNew Latinadjectivecuckolded
idem est, sī quis marītum cornūtum dīcat [...], quoniam per cōnsequentiam saltem tangit injūria marītum, prīncipāliter vērō uxōrem, utpote per quam marītus cornūtus dēmum fit.https://books.google.com/books?id=Sa1FAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA844
The same is valid for when someone calls a husband cuckolded, since the injury hits the husband at least indirectly, though mainly the wife, as by whom the husband becomes a cuckold in the first place.1738, Georg Adam Struve, Syntagma jurisprudentiae 3.844cāsus, quō ipsī uxōrī immediātē injūria facta, utrīque tamen conjugī est commūnis: ut, sī marītus cornūtus vel corōnātus adpellētur, quia hoc convīcium necessāriō injūriam uxōris involvit.https://books.google.com/books?id=izBgAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA1171
An incident by which only the wife suffered immediate injury, nevertheless pertains to both spouses: just as when a husband is called horned (=cuckolded) or wreathed, because this insult necessarily involves a wrongdoing of the wife.1735, Christoph Heinrich Freiesleben, Compendium juris Schutzio-Lauterbachianum 2.1172
Declension
| form | masculine | feminine | neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | cornūtus | cornūta | cornūtum |
| genitive | cornūtī | cornūtae | cornūtī |
| dative | cornūtō | cornūtae | cornūtō |
| accusative | cornūtum | cornūtam | cornūtum |
| ablative | cornūtō | cornūtā | cornūtō |
| vocative | cornūte | cornūta | cornūtum |
| form | masculine | feminine | neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | cornūtī | cornūtae | cornūta |
| genitive | cornūtōrum | cornūtārum | cornūtōrum |
| dative | cornūtīs | cornūtīs | cornūtīs |
| accusative | cornūtōs | cornūtās | cornūta |
| ablative | cornūtīs | cornūtīs | cornūtīs |
| vocative | cornūtī | cornūtae | cornūta |
cornūtus, a, um, adj. cornu,
I. horned:
animalia, Varr. R. R. 2, 7, 2: aries, Col. 7, 3, 4.—B. Meton. (cf. cornu, I. B.):
quadrupedes (i. e. elephanti), Varr. L. L. 7, § 39 Müll.: luna, Amm. 14, 2, 2.—C. Subst.:
1. cornūti, ōrum, m. (= tauri), bullocks, Att. ap. Non. p. 395, 24 (Trag. Rel. v. 494 Rib.).—
2. cornūtae, ārum, f., a kind of sea-fish. Plin. 32, 11, 53, § 145; Apic. 10, 3, § 454.—
II. Trop.: syllogismus, a horned syllogism, a sophistical conclusion, sophism, = ceratina, Hier. Ep. 69, n. 2; cf.:
cornuta interrogatio, id. adv. Helvid. 16.Origins
From cornū (“horn”) + -tus (adjective-forming suffix). The connection between "having horns" and "cuckolded" is found across many languages, cf. English horned, German Hörner aufsetzen, Turkish boynuzlanmak and in all Romance languages. The origin of this connection is disputed.
Descendants
- Catalancornut
- Englishcornute
- Frenchcornu
- Italiancornuto
- Englishcornutofrom Italian cornuto
- Occitancornut
- Portuguesecornudo
- Romaniancornut
- Spanishcornudo
- Albaniankërrutë