LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinethird declension

ēnsis

ēnsis m (genitive ēnsis)
Classical[ˈẽː.sɪs]Ecclesiastical[ˈɛn.sis]
Mille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. poeticsword, brand
    […] sīc fātus deinde comantem / Androgeī galeam clipeīque īnsigne decōrum / induitur, laterīque Argīuum accommodat ēnsem.2007 translation by Frederick Ahl […] This said, he donned Androgeos' helmet, / Crested with plumes, then he strapped on his shield, quite superbly emblazoned, / Fitted an Argive sword at his hip, readjusting the buckle.29 BCE – 19 BCE, Vergilius, Aeneis 2.391–393
    At nōn Actoridēn Erytum, cui lāta bipennis / tēlum erat, hāmātō Perseus petit ēnse […]Yet does not Perseus attack Erytus, son of Actor, for whom a broad double-sided battle-axe was his weapon, with his hooked sword […]8 CE, Ovidius, Metamorphoses 5.79–80
  2. figurativelywar
    lātēque vagātur ēnsisand far and wide the sword wanders
  3. figurativelydefender
    Mārcellō Rōmānōrum ēnsīto Marcellus, the Romans’ sword
  4. figurativelyroyal sway
  5. metonymicallythe constellation Orion

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

gladius — verbum poētārum.
ēnsis -is m — in Mille Verba, Castra in Aegyptō

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Gladius · Ensis · Pugio · Sica

1. Gladius (from κλάδος) is the usual, ensis (from ansa?) the select and poetical name for a sword. Quintil. x. 1, 11. (v. 188.) 2. Pugio (from pungere) is a dagger, as a fair and openly used soldier’s weapon, on a level with the sword; whereas sica (from secare) is the unfair and secret weapon of the bandit, on a level with poison. (vi. 291.)

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeēnsisēnsēs
genitiveēnsisēnsium
dativeēnsīēnsibus
accusativeēnsemēnsēs
ēnsīs
ablativeēnseēnsibus
vocativeēnsisēnsēs

ensis, is, m. Sanscr. root as-, asyati, hurl; asi, sword,
I. a sword, brand.
I. Prop. (almost exclusively in the poets; synon. with gladius, acc. to Quint. 10, 1, 11; cf. also spatha, acinaces, sica, mucro, pugio), Lucr. 5, 1293; Cic. poët. ap. Gell. 15, 6, 3; and id. N. D. 2, 63 fin.; Tib. 1, 3, 47; 1, 10, 1: ensem haesurum jugulo puto, Ov. Tr. 1, 1, 484; Verg. A. 2, 393; 553 et saep.; Liv. 7, 10, 9.—
II. Meton.
A. War, Sil. 7, 167; Stat. S. 4, 7, 45; cf.: lateque vagatur ensis, i. e. slaughter, Luc. 2, 102.—
B. For defensor: MARCELLO ROMANORVM ENSI, Inscr. Momms. 1984.—
C. Royal sway, Luc. 5, 61.—
D. Ensis, the constellation Orion, Val. Fl. 2, 68; cf. ensifer.

Origins

Uncertain. Perhaps cognate with Palaic 𒄩𒅆𒄿𒊏𒄠 (ḫa-ši-i-ra-am, “dagger”), Sanskrit असि (así, “sword”), and Ancient Greek ἄορ (áor, “(hanger for a) sword”). De Vaan reconstructs Proto-Indo-European *h₁ensi- (“sword, large knife”); however, the ḫ- of the Palaic form is incompatible with an initial *h₁-. Yet, a reconstruction *h₂n̥sis is problematic for Latin as it would violate Rix's Law, according to which the outcome **ānsis would be expected (compare Latin ambi-, from *h₂m̥bʰí). The linguist Stefan Höfler, however, contents the operation of Rix's Law in Latin, citing forms such as ēnsis and the possible derivation from *h₂n̥sís as evidence. Another possibility is that the term could maybe reflect a paradigm *h₂ḗnsis ~ *h₂n̥séys, in which case the lengthened grade would have been generalized in Italic. Ultimately, according to De Vaan, all alleged Indo-European cognates are uncertain. Schrijver argues that words denoting material objects are easily borrowed, allowing for the possibility that the resemblance between this word and other Indo-European forms is partially coincidental. Regardless, the EIEC—which reconstructs the PIE form as *h_(2/3)ṇsis—still argues that the form likely dates back to Proto-Indo-European.

Quick answers

What does ēnsis mean in Latin?
ēnsis, a noun, means “sword, brand; war; defender”.
What is the genitive of ēnsis?
The genitive singular is ēnsis. ēnsis is masculine, third declension.
How do you pronounce ēnsis?
In classical Latin, [ˈẽː.sɪs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈɛn.sis].