noun · neutersecond declension
dentifrangibulum
dentifrangibulum n (genitive dentifrangibulī)
Classical[dɛn.tɪ.fraŋˈɡɪ.bʊ.ɫũː]Ecclesiastical[den.ti.fran̠ʲˈd͡ʒiː.bu.lum]
Meaning
- humorousneuterfist
Pist. At scīn quam īrācundus siem? Nē tibi hercle haud longē est os ab īnfortūniō, ita dentifrangibula haec meīs manibus gestiunt.
Pist. Do you know how short-tempered I am? Your mouth, by Hercules, is hardly far away from a mishap, so much are these fists stirring in my hands.c. 190 BCE, Plautus, Bacchides 4.2.12–14
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | dentifrangibulum | dentifrangibula |
| genitive | dentifrangibulī | dentifrangibulōrum |
| dative | dentifrangibulō | dentifrangibulīs |
| accusative | dentifrangibulum | dentifrangibula |
| ablative | dentifrangibulō | dentifrangibulīs |
| vocative | dentifrangibulum | dentifrangibula |
Origins
Coined by Plautus, from dēns (“tooth”) + frangō (“break”) + -bulum (suffix forming instrument nouns).