noun · masculinesecond declension
equus1
equus m (genitive equī, feminine equa)
Classical[ˈɛ.kʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈɛː.kʷus]
№ 248 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary
Meaning
- masculinehorse
equo ne credite, Teucri! Quidquid id est, timeo Danaos et dona ferentes.
Do not trust the horse, Trojans! Whatever it is, I fear the Danaans even if they are bearing gifts.29 BCE – 19 BCE, Vergilius, Aeneis II.48saepe illos aspera ponti | interclusit hiems et terruit Auster euntis; | praecipue, cum iam hic trabibus contextus acernis | staret equus, toto sonuerunt aethere nimbi. Often a fierce tempest of the deep cut them off and the gale scared them from going. Above all, when yonder horse now stood framed of maple-beams, storm clouds sounded throughout the sky.
To what end have they set up this huge mass of a horse?Vergil, Aeneis II, 48 and 110-113 and 150 (edited and translated by H. Rushton Fairclough, Virgil with an English translation I, 1916) - masculinesteed, charger
Sed nos immensum spatiis confecimus aequor, | et iam tempus equum fumantia solvere colla.
But in our course we have traversed a mighty plain, and now it is time to unyoke the necks of our smoking steeds.Vergil, Georgicon II, 541-542 (edited and translated by H. Rushton Fairclough, Virgil with an English translation I, 1916)
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
animal nōbile quod hominēs vehit; celeriter currit.equus -ī m — in Mille Verba, Animālia
animal nōbile quod virōs portatequus -ī (m) — in Metamorphoses I, †
horse
equus -ī — in Viri Romae Facillimi, ch. 1, 3, 8, 10, 15, 19, 23, 26, De Bello Gallico II and De Bello Gallico III
Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms
Equus · Caballus · Mannus · Canterius
Equus (from the antiquated word, ehu) denotes a horse, as a general expression, a term in natural history; caballus (from καφάζω), a horse for ordinary services; mannus, a smaller kind of horse, like palfrey, for luxury; canterius, a castrated horse, a gelding. Sen. Ep. 85. Cato censorius canterio vehebatur et hippoperis quidem impositis. Oh quantum decus sæculi! Catonem uno caballo esse contentum, et ne toto quidem! Ita non omnibus obesis mannis et asturconibus et tolutariis præferres unum illum equum ab ipso Catone defrictum. (iv. 287.)
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | equus | equī |
| genitive | equī | equōrum equom |
| dative | equō | equīs |
| accusative | equum ecum | equōs |
| ablative | equō | equīs |
| vocative | eque | equī |
Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book
- equo vehi
- to ride.
- capere equos
- to capture horses.
- agitare equum
- to make a horse prance.
- moderari equum
- to manage a horse.
- sternere equum
- to saddle a horse.
- ex equo pugnare
- to fight on horseback.
- frenos dare equo
- to give a horse the reins.
- conscendere equum
- to mount.
14 more phrases
- (in) equo haerere
- to sit a horse well; to have a good seat.
- equi consternantur
- the horses are panic-stricken, run away.
- ascendere in equum
- to mount.
- descendere ex equo
- to dismount.
- alere equos, canes
- to keep horses, dogs.
- calcaria subdere equo
- to put spurs to a horse.
- equo citato or admisso
- at full gallop.
- equos incitatos sustinere
- to bring horses to the halt when at full gallop.
- calcaribus equum concitare
- to put spurs to a horse.
- equum in aliquem concitare
- ride against any one at full speed; charge a person.
- admittere, permittere equum
- to give a horse the reins.
- in equo sedere; equo insidēre
- to be on horseback.
- equo, pedibus merere (Liv. 27. 11)
- to serve in the cavalry, infantry.
- iter ingredi (pedibus, equo, terra)
- to begin a journey (on foot, on horseback, by land).
ĕquus, i (
I. gen. plur. equūm, Verg. G. 2, 542; Stat. Th. 4, 409 al.), m. Sanscr. acvas; Gr. ἵππος (ἴκκος); cf. Epŏna; root, ak-, to be sharp or swift; cf. Gr. ἄκρος, ὠκύς; Lat. acus, ocior, a horse, steed, charger.
I. Prop.
A. In gen. (cf.:
caballus, canterius, mannus), Varr. R. R. 2, 7; Col. 6, 27 sq.; Plin. 8, 42, 64, § 154 sq.; Pall. Mart. 13; Enn. ap. Cic. de Sen. 5, 14 (Ann. v. 441 ed. Vahlen); Plaut. Bacch. 1, 1, 39; id. Men. 5, 2, 109; Cic. Rep. 1, 43; 1, 7, 9 et saep.: equus = equa, Varr. R. R. 2, 7, 11.—Offered as a sacrifice to Mars, Paul. ex Fest. p. 81, 16, and p. 178, 24 sq. Müll.; cf. Prop. 4 (5), 1, 20; and v. October: EQVO PVBLICO ORNATVS, EXORNATVS, HONORATVS, etc.; or, ellipt., EQVO PVBLICO, very often in inscriptions; v. Inscr. Momms. 73; 459; 445; 1952; 2456; 2865 al.—In another sense: equi publici, post-horses, Amm. 14, 6.—Equo vehi, advehi, ire, desilire, equum conscendere, flectere, in equum ascendere, equo citato, concitato, etc., see under these verbs.—B. In partic.
1. Of cavalry, in the phrase, equis virisque (viri = pedites; cf. eques and vir), adverb., with horse and foot, i. e. with might and main, with tooth and nail, Liv. 5, 37; Flor. 2, 7, 8;
also: equis, viris, Cic. Phil. 8, 7, 21; id. Fam. 9, 7; cf. Nep. Hamilc. 4; and in the order, viris equisque, Cic. Off. 3, 33.—2. Transf., of race-horses:
ego cursu corrigam tarditatem tum equis, tum vero, quoniam scribis poëma ab eo nostrum probari, quadrigis poeticis, i. e. in prose and poetry, Cic. Q. Fr. 2, 15, a (see the passage in connection).—C. Transf.
D. Prov.: equi donati dentes non inspiciuntur, we don't look a gift horse in the mouth, Hier. Ep. ad Ephes. prooem.—
II. Meton.
A. Equus bipes, a sea-horse, Verg. G. 4, 389;
Auct. Pervig. Ven. 10: fluviatilis, a river-horse, hippopotamus, Plin. 8, 21, 30, § 73.—C. The Trojan horse, Verg. A. 2, 112 sq.; Hyg. Fab. 108; Plaut. Bacch. 4, 9, 12; Prop. 3 (4), 1, 25; Hor. C. 4, 6, 13 al.— *
D. A battering-ram, because shaped like a horse;
afterwards called aries, Plin. 7, 56, 57, § 202.—F. Equus Trojanus, the title of a play of Livius Andronicus, Cic. Fam. 7, 1, 2 al.
Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
equus or ecus ī (gen plur. equōm or equūm, V.), m
3 AC-, a horse, steed, charger : fortis: equis uti: cadere de equo: inanis, without a rider : in equo, mounted : ex equo pugnare, L.— Fig.: conrigam tarditatem cum equis, tum quadrigis, i. e. will use extreme diligence : equis, viris subvenire, with horse and foot , i. e. with might and main : equis virisque, i. e. with their whole force , L.—Plur, a chariot (poet.): Semper equos canebat, V.: conscendit equos, O.— A sea-horse : bipedum currus equorum, V.— The Trojan Horse : Troianus: trabibus contextus, V.: Equus Troianus, a play of Livius Andronicus .—Fig.: intus est equus Troianus, i. e. treason.—The constellation Pegasus .
Origins
- Proto-Indo-European*HéHḱus
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁éḱwos
- Proto-Italic*ekwos
- Latinequus
Inherited from Proto-Italic *ekwos, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁éḱwos (“horse”). Cognate with Ancient Greek ἵππος (híppos), Sanskrit अश्व (áśva), Persian اسب (asb), Old Armenian էշ (ēš, “donkey”), Tocharian B yakwe, and Gaulish epos. Respelt with ⟨quu⟩ for the earlier ⟨quo⟩/⟨cu⟩ in post-Augustan times on the analogy of oblique cases.
Descendants
- Esperantoekvo
- Esperantoekvedo
- Esperantoekveno
- TranslingualEquus