LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinefourth declension

ductus

ductus m (genitive ductūs)
Classical[ˈdʊk.tʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈduk.tus]

Meaning

  1. literallymasculineusuallyleadership, leading, conducting
    Alicuius ductu imperioqueunder one’s command and authority
    Cuius ductu saepe numero hostes superassentunder his leadership they had so often overwhelmed the enemyc. 52 BCE, Julius Caesar, Commentarii de bello Gallico VII.62
  2. literallymasculinegeneralship, military lead, conduct, command
  3. Medieval Latinliterallymasculineconveyance of water; a channel
  4. figurativelymasculineconnection or structure of a play
  5. figurativelymasculinea period

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

opus quō aqua dūcitur
ductus -ūs (m) — in Epistulae, ch. 20

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeductusductūs
genitiveductūsductuum
dativeductuīductibus
accusativeductumductūs
ablativeductūductibus
vocativeductusductūs

ductus, a, um, Part., from duco.
ductus, ūs, m. duco,
I. a leading, conducting (class.).
I. Lit.
A. In gen.: aquarum, Cic. Off. 2, 4, 14; id. Leg. 2, 1, 2; cf. the work of Frontinus: De aquaeductibus; in this sense also simply ductus, id. ib. 5 sq.: aequali ductu porticus, a line, row, Lucr. 4, 426: muri, Cic. Rep. 2, 6, 11: litterarum, form, shape, Quint. 1, 1, 25; 10, 2, 2; Plin. 8, 3, 3, § 6: oris (with vultus), lineaments, Cic. Fin. 5, 17, 47: liniarum, Plin. 37, 12, 74, § 195.—
B. In partic., military lead, conduct, generalship, command, Cic. de Imp. Pomp. 21; id. Fam. 3, 11, 4; Caes. B. G. 7, 62, 2; id. B. C. 1, 7, 6; Vell. 2, 78; 115; Tac. Agr. 5; Suet. Vesp. 4 al.; freq. connected with auspicium, Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 41; Liv. 5, 46; 8, 31; 28, 38; Inscr. Orell. 563 al.; sometimes also opp. to auspicium, as the supreme command, Tac. A. 2, 41; Curt. 6, 3; Suet. Aug. 21 Ruhnk.—
II. Trop., of discourse.
A. Connection, structure of a play, Quint. 4, 2, 53.—
B. A period, Quint. 9, 4, 30 Spald.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*dewk-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*déwkti
  3. Proto-Italic*doukō
  4. Latinductus

Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Italic *-tus Latin -tus Latin ductus From dūcō (“to lead, conduct, draw”) + -tus (action noun suffix).

Borrowed
  • Englishduct
  • Englishductus
  • GermanDuktus
  • Portugueseducto
  • Portugueseduto
  • Romanianduct
  • Spanishducto
  • Albanianduq
  • Esperantodukto
  • Polishdukt
Inherited
  • Catalandut
  • Catalanduit
  • Italiandotto
  • Old Frenchduit

In English words that came into English from ductus

  • ductductus
  • aqueductaquaeductus
  • oviductōviductus
  • ductusductus
  • ductuleductulus

Quick answers

What does ductus mean in Latin?
ductus, a noun, means “leadership, leading, conducting; generalship, military lead, conduct, command; conveyance of water”.
What is the genitive of ductus?
The genitive singular is ductūs. ductus is masculine, fourth declension.
How do you pronounce ductus?
In classical Latin, [ˈdʊk.tʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈduk.tus].
Where does ductus come from?
Proto-Indo-European *dewk- → Proto-Indo-European *déwkti → Proto-Italic *doukō → Latin ductus.
Which English words come from ductus?
English words that go back to Latin ductus include duct, ductus, aqueduct, oviduct and ductule.