LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininefirst declension

faba

faba f (genitive fabae)
Classical[ˈfa.ba]Ecclesiastical[ˈfaː.ba]

Meaning

  1. femininebean
    Pinguia cūr illīs gustentur lārda Kalendīs,Why is it that bacon fats are to be eaten on the Kalends, and [these] having been mixed with hot bean[s] [and] far, you ask?8 CE, Ovidius, Fasti 6.169–170
  2. femininehorse bean
  3. femininea small object with the shape of a bean.

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativefabafabae
genitivefabaefabārum
dativefabaefabīs
accusativefabamfabās
ablativefabāfabīs
vocativefabafabae

făba, ae, f. for fag-va, Sanscr. root bhaj-, to divide, share; bhak-tam, food; Gr. φαγ-εῖν, to eat; cf. fāgus,
I. a bean, Vicia faba, Linn.; Gr. κύαμος, more correctly, perh., our horse-bean.
I. Prop., Cato, R. R. 35, 1; Varr. R. R. 1, 44, 1; Col. 2, 10, 5; Plin. 18, 12, 30, § 117; 19, 8, 40, § 133; 27, 5, 23, § 40: perque fabam repunt (grues) et mollia crura reponunt, Enn. ap. Serv. Verg. G. 3, 76 (Ann. v. 545 ed. Vahl.); not eaten by the Pythagoreans, Cic. Div. 1, 30, 62; 2, 58, 119; Hor. S. 2, 6, 63; Gell. 4, 11, 4; and neither to be touched nor named by the Flamen Dialis, Fab. Pict. ap. Gell. 10, 15, 12; Paul. ex Fest. p. 87, 13 Müll.—
B. Prov.
1. St. Repperi. Ly. Quid repperisti? St. Non quod pueri clamitant, In faba se repperisse, Plaut. Aul. 5, 11.—
2. Istaec in me cudetur faba, i. e. I shall have to smart for it, Ter. Eun. 2, 3, 89 Don.—
3. Tam perit quam extrema faba, in proverbio est, quod ea plerumque aut proteritur aut decerpitur a praetereuntibus, Fest. S. V. TAM, p. 363, 17 Müll.—
II. Transf., of things of a similar shape: of grains of wheat, Plin. 18, 10, 21, § 95: faba caprini fimi, goat's dung, id. 19, 12, 60, § 185.—As a measure, Veg. Vet. 3, 12, 3.

Origins

From Proto-Italic *fabā (“bean”). Akin to Proto-Slavic *bobъ, Ancient Greek φακός (phakós) and Proto-Germanic *baunō, ultimately likely from a European substrate.

Descendants
  • Catalanfava
  • Frenchfève
  • Italianfava
  • Englishfavafrom Italian fava
  • Occitanfava
  • Portuguesefava
  • Sardinianfaa
  • Sardinianfaba
  • Sardinianfae
  • Sardinianfava

In English words that came into English from faba

  • aquafabaaqua
  • fabiformfaba
  • fabaceousfabaceus
  • fabellafābella

Quick answers

What does faba mean in Latin?
faba, a noun, means “bean; horse bean; a small object with the shape of a bean.”.
What is the genitive of faba?
The genitive singular is fabae. faba is feminine, first declension.
How do you pronounce faba?
In classical Latin, [ˈfa.ba]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈfaː.ba].
Which English words come from faba?
English words that go back to Latin faba include aquafaba, fabiform, fabaceous and fabella.