cortīna¹

Meaning

1. cauldron; kettle
2. the sacred tripod of Apollo (in the form of a cauldron)
   vix ea fatus eram tremere omnia visa repente liminaque laurusque dei totusque moveri mons circum et mugire adytis cortina reclusisI had scarcely uttered these words when suddenly everything seemed to shake—the holy thresholds, the god's laurel tree—and the entire mountain stirred, and as the temple's inner sanctum was revealed the sacred tripod bellowed.29 BCE – 19 BCE, Vergilius, Aeneis 3.90–92

Declension

Origins

Uncertain. Sometimes attributed to Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“turn; bend”), via a hypothetical passive past participle *kṛto- (“bent”), but this is dubious. Attested from Plautus onward.

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

Related words

Meaning

1. Late Latincurtain

Declension

Origins

From cōrt- (“courtyard”, stem of cōrs, from cohors) + -īna, a calque of Ancient Greek αὐλαία (aulaía, “curtain”) < αὐλή (aulḗ, “courtyard”). First attested in the fourth century CE. Unrelated to Etymology 1.

In English words that came into English from cōrtīna

• curtaincōrtīna
• cortinacōrtīna

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

Meaning

1. Late Latinpiece of enclosed land (for various purposes)

Declension

Origins

From cōrt- (“courtyard”, stem of cōrs, from cohors) + -īna (diminutive suffix). Attested from at least ca. 560 CE (Paulus Galeatensis).

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries