What is the Latin word for dice-box?

The usual Latin words for “dice-box” are phīmus, fritillus, orca; also pyrgus, Persius. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“dice-box” in Latin

phīmusA dicebox fritillusa cylindrical box for holding dice orcaorc, orca (kind of whale); butt, tun (large-bellied vessel)pyrgusa little wooden tower on the side of a gaming-board Persiusa Roman nomen gentile, gens or "family name" famously held by

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

dice-box

phimus (φιμός): fritillus (“of a cylindrical form; with parallel indentations on the inside, so as to make a rattling noise, when the dice were shaken,” Dict, of Antiqq.): orca (bellying out in the centre; Persius, 3, 50): pyrgus (tower-shaped, with spirally-ascending grooves inside; it was fixed at the end of the board: turricula only in the superscription of Martisalis, 14, 16, which is not genuine). To put the dice in the dice-box, mittere talos in phimum or fritillum: to shake the dice-box, phimum or fritillum concutere.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for dice-box?: The usual Latin words for “dice-box” are phīmus, fritillus, orca; also pyrgus, Persius. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.