LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininefirst declension

crēta1

crēta f (genitive crētae)

Meaning

  1. chalk
  2. clay, clayey soil

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativecrētacrētae
genitivecrētaecrētārum
dativecrētaecrētīs
accusativecrētamcrētās
ablativecrētācrētīs
vocativecrētacrētae

crēta, ae, f. orig. adj., from 1. Creta,
I. Cretan earth, i. e. chalk, white earth or clay.
I. Prop., Plin. 35, 17, 57, § 195 sq.; Cato, R. R. 39, 2; Varr. R. R. 1, 7, 8 al.; esp. used for cleansing garments, Plaut. Aul. 4, 9, 6.—Hence, trop.: creta est profecto horum hominum oratio, i. e. removes all trouble from the mind, Plaut. Poen. 5, 2, 10 sq.— Also used as a cosmetic, Hor. Epod. 12, 10; Mart. 6, 93, 9; 8, 33, 17 al.; for seals, Cic. Fl. 16, 37; cf. cretula, for marking the goal in a race-course, Plin. 8, 42, 65, § 160; for the making of earthen vessels, Col. 3, 11, 9; Plin. 14, 20, 25, § 123 et saep.—Poet.: rapidus cretae Oaxes, turbulent, Verg. E. 1, 66 Rib. (dub. al. Cretae; v. Forbig. ad loc.). —
II. From its whiteness is borrowed the trope for something favorable or lucky (opp. carbo), Hor. S. 2, 3, 246; imitated by Pers. 5, 108.

Origins

Uncertain, perhaps: * From Crēta, thus “Cretan earth”. * From (terra) crēta (“sifted (earth)”), substantivized from the feminine gender of crētus. De Vaan considers this phonetically sound but semantically weak (clay is not a sifted type of dirt). * From an archaic Proto-Indo-European noun *tkʷreh₁-it- (compare Old Irish crē, Welsh pridd, Tocharian A tukri and Tocharian B kwriye, all meaning “clay”) plus the thematic feminine ending *-eh₂, but the root would be otherwise unknown. * An early borrowing from Celtic, or from the same substrate source as the Celtic words; more at Proto-Celtic *kʷrīyess. This theory is preferred by De Vaan.

Elsewhere
  • Catalancreta
  • Englishcreta preparata
  • Portuguesecreta
  • Romaniancretă
  • Spanishcreta
  • Galiciancreta
  • Hungariankréta
Northern Gallo-Romance
  • Frenchcraie
  • Portuguesecréfrom French craie
  • Franco-Provençalcreia
  • Franco-Provençalgreia
  • Normancraie
Southern Gallo-Romance
  • Catalangreda
  • Occitangreda
Ibero-Romance
  • Portuguesegreda
  • Spanishgreda
Italo-Romance
  • Italiancreta
  • Siciliancrita
Italo-Dalmatian
  • Cimbriankhrèafrom Venetan crèa
Gallo-Italic
  • Lombardcreia
  • Piedmontesecreja
Borrowings
  • Proto-West Germanic*krīdā
proper noun · femininefirst declension
Crēta2
Crēta f sg (genitive Crētae)
Classical[ˈkreː.ta]Ecclesiastical[ˈkrɛː.ta]

Meaning

  1. Crete (an island of Greece)

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeCrēta—
genitiveCrētae
Crētēs		—
dativeCrētae—
accusativeCrētam
Crētēn		—
ablativeCrētā—
vocativeCrēta—
locativeCrētae
Crētēs		—

Crēta, ae (nom. Crētē, Mel. 2, 7, 12; Ov. M. 8, 118; 9, 668; 9, 735; acc. Creten, id. ib. 8, 99; Hor. C. 3, 27, 34 al.;
I. on the contrary, Cretam, Verg. A. 3, 129 al.), f., = Κρήτη, Crete, an island in the Mediterranean Sea, distinguished in ancient times by its fruitfulness and very early cultivation, now Candia, Mel. l. l.; Plin. 4, 12, 20, § 58; Verg. A. 3, 104; Hor. Epod. 9, 29; Cic. Fl. 13, 30; id. Phil. 2, 38, 97; Vell. 2, 34, 1; Varr. R. R. 1, 7, 6; Plin. 15, 11, 10, § 37.— Hence,
II. Crēs, Crētis, m., and Cressa, ae, f., = Κρής, Κρῆσσα, Cretan; or as subst., a Cretan; a Cretan woman.
a. Masc. Cres: Epimenides, Cic. Div. 1, 18, 34.—In plur. Cretes, the Cretans, Cic. Mur. 35, 74; Ov. Am. 3, 10, 19; gen. Cretum, Cic. Tusc. 2, 14, 34; Cat. 55, 23; Ov. F. 1, 594 al.; acc. Cretăs, Caes. B. G. 2, 7; Mel. 1, 16, 1; Ov. H. 16, 348; Luc. 4, 441 al.—
b. Fem. Cressa, adj.: pharetra, Verg. G. 3, 345: nota, made with Cretan earth or chalk (v. 2. Creta, II.), Hor. C. 1, 36, 10: herbae, for healing in gen., Prop. 2, 1, 61 (acc. to Serv. ad Verg. A. 12, 412, perh. for dictamnus): bos, i. e. Pasiphaë (q. v.), id. 4 (5), 7, 57.—Subst. for Ariadne, Ov. Am. 1, 7, 16; for Aĕrope, id. A. A. 1, 327.—
B. Crēsĭus (in MSS. and edd. also Cressĭus; cf. Verg. A. 5, 285 Wagn.), a, um, adj., = Κρήσιος, Cretan: nemora, Verg. A. 4, 70: prodigia, i. e. taurus (v. C.), id. ib. 8, 295: regna, Ov. H. 16, 299: tecta, Stat. Th. 12, 582 al.—
C. Crētaeus, a, um, adj., Cretan: Ida, Verg. A. 12, 412: urbes, Ov. M. 9, 666: ratis, Prop. 3 (4), 19, 26. taurus, the bullock which Neptune sent to Minos, Ov. M. 7, 434.—Subst.: Crētae-us, i, m., the Cretan, for Epimenides, Prop. 2, 34 (25), 29.—*
D. Crētānus, i, m., a Cretan (prob. a word coined in sport), Plaut. Curc. 3, 73.—
E. Crētensis, e, adj., Cretan: homo, judex, Cic. Phil. 5, 5, 13 and 14: Juppiter, id. N. D. 3, 21, 53: sagittarii, Liv. 37, 41, 9 et saep.—In plur.: Crētenses, ium, m., the Cretans (renowned as archers), Nep. Hann. 9, 2; Liv. 37, 60, 4; 41, 25, 7 al.—
F. Crētĭcus, a, um, adj., Cretan: mare, Hor. C. 1, 26, 2: vinum, Plin. 14, 9, 11, § 81: labyrinthus, id. 36, 13, 19, § 90: bellum, Flor. 3, 7: pes, an amphimacrus, Diom. p. 475 P. al.: versus, composed of the amphimacrus, id. p. 513 ib. al.—
2. Subst.
a. Crētĭcus, i, m., a surname of Q. Metellus, from his subjugation of Crete, Flor. 3, 7 fin.; 3, 8, 1; Vell. 2, 34; Cic. Att. 1, 19, 2; cf. id. Fl. 13, 30; Ov. F. 1, 594.—
b. Crētĭca, ae, f., a plant, called also clematitis, Plin. 25, 8, 54, § 96.—
c. In the Gr. form Crētĭcē, ēs, f., a plant, called also hibiscus, App. Herb. 38 and 62.—
G. Crētis, ĭdis, f., a Cretan (woman): Nymphae, Ov. F. 3, 444.

Origins

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Κρήτη (Krḗtē).

Descendants
  • CatalanCreta
  • EnglishCrete
  • ItalianCreta
  • WelshCreta

Quick answers

What does crēta mean in Latin?
crēta, a noun, means “chalk; clay, clayey soil”.
What is the genitive of crēta?
The genitive singular is crētae. crēta is feminine, first declension.