culullus

Meaning

1. masculinewine jug, ewer, pitcher, jar, bumper, chalice, goblet, beaker
   reges dicuntur multis urgere culullis et torquere mero, quem perspexisse laborent,Kings are said to ply with many bumpers and test with unmixed wine whom to deem worthy of their friendship.c. 19 BCE, Horatius, Ars Poetica 434–436
   premant Calena falce quibus dedit Fortuna vitem, dives ut aureis mercator exsiccet culullisThose to whom Fortuna has given it shall trim the vine with the Calenian pruning-knife so that the rich trader may drain from golden jugs the wine for which he barters Syrian wares23 BCE – 13 BCE, Horatius, Carmina I.31.9–13

Declension

Origins

Borrowed from Classical Syriac ܩܽܘܠܬܳܐ (qulləṯā), deriving from Akkadian 𒄣𒇷𒌋 (qulliu, “a bowl”), older Akkadian 𒄖𒌌𒇻 (gullu, “a container”), also Akkadian 𒄖𒌌𒆷𒌅 (gullatu, “ewer”). Doublet of gaulus (“a kind of vessel”) and of collathum (“a unit of liquid measure used in Syria”) via Ancient Greek κόλλαθον (kóllathon, “a unit of liquid measure used in Syria”) from the same word (reborrowed as Classical Syriac ܩܘܠܐܬܘܢ / ܩܘܠܬܘܢ (“a unit of liquid measure”)). Also found as Jewish Palestinian Aramaic, Jewish Literary Aramaic, Jewish Babylonian Aramaic קוּלְתָא (qulləṯā), Biblical Hebrew גֻלָּה (gullāh), Ugaritic 𐎂𐎍 (gl), Eblaite 𒄘𒇷𒈝 (GÚ-LI-LUM), Arabic قُلَّة (qulla). Note that because of each locus being transmitted in all variants the exact form of the Latin cannot be known with certainty, but the meter in the Art of Poetry requires the /l/ between the first and second syllable to be ungeminated, against the Aramaic etymon and manuscripts that give ­­­⟨ll⟩ variants. The quotes that follow on this page comprise all occurrences that are attested from antiquity, that is two Horace loci with a Syria frame and a commentary to one of it with scholia. However, the word has been picked up in its variants in the Renaissance.