LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininefirst declension

fistula

fistula f (genitive fistulae)
Classical[ˈfɪs.tʊ.ɫa]Ecclesiastical[ˈfis.tu.la]

Meaning

  1. femininepipe, tube, especially a water pipe
  2. femininehollow reed or cane
  3. feminineshepherd's pipe, pipes of Pan
  4. femininefistula, ulcer
  5. femininecatheter
  6. feminineshoemaker's punch
  7. femininea kind of hand mill for grinding grain
  8. femininegolden shower (Cassia fistula)

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

īnstrūmentum pāstōrum ex calamīs
fistula -ae (f) — in Metamorphoses I, ch. 4

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativefistulafistulae
genitivefistulaefistulārum
dativefistulaefistulīs
accusativefistulamfistulās
ablativefistulāfistulīs
vocativefistulafistulae

fistŭla, ae, f. findo, fis-sum.
I. In gen., a pipe, tube, e. g. a water-pipe (usually of lead; syn.: tubus, canalis, sypho), Cic. Rab. Perd. 11, 31; Front. Aquaed. 25 sq.; Plin. 2, 103, 106, § 224; 31, 6, 31, § 58; Ov. M. 4, 122; Inscr. Orell. 3322; 3324; 3892; the wind-pipe and gullet, Plin. 11, 37, 66, § 175; Gell. 17, 11, 4; the tubular vessels in the lungs, Plin. 11, 37, 72, § 188; in the teeth, id. 11, 37, 62, § 163; a hole in a sponge, id. 31, 11, 47, § 123 al.; the blow-hole of the whale, id. 9, 7, 6, § 19.—
II. In partic.
A. A hollow reed-stalk, a reed, cane, Plin. 12, 22, 48, § 106; 19, 5, 23, § 66.—
2. Transf.
a. A reed-pipe, shepherd's pipe, pipes of Pan (made of several reeds gradually decreasing in length and calibre), the Greek σύριγξ, invented by Pan (syn.: tibia, sura): fistula, cui semper decrescit arundinis ordo: Nam calamus cerā jungitur usque minor, Tib. 2, 5, 31; cf. Verg. E. 2, 32 sq.; Ov. M. 1, 688 sq.; 2, 682; 13, 784; Plin. 7, 56, 57, § 204; Hor. C. 4, 1, 24; 4, 12, 10 et al.: eburneola, a pitch-pipe, for giving the tone in which an orator should speak, Cic. de Or. 3, 60, 225 sq.; cf. Quint. 1, 10, 27.— In comic transf.: itaque et ludis et gladiatoribus mirandas ἐπισημασίας sine ulla pastoricia fistula auferebamus, i. e. without being hissed off, Cic. Att. 1, 16, 11.—
b. A writing-reed, Pers. 3, 14.—
B. A sort of ulcer, a fistula, Cels. 2, 8 med.; 5, 12; 7, 4; Plin. 20, 9, 33, § 55; 24, 11, 51, § 88; Cato, R. R. 157, 14; Nep. Att. 21, 3.—
C. Fistula sutoria, a shoemaker's punch, Plin. 17, 14, 23, § 100.—
D. A catheter: aeneae fistulae fiunt, Cels. 7, 26, 1 init.—
E. Fistula farraria, a sort of hand-mill for grinding corn, Cato, R. R. 10, 3; also called fistula serrata, Plin. 18, 10, 23, § 97.

Origins

Unknown. De Vaan thinks the most promising connection is with festūca (“stalk, straw”) and fistūca (“pile driver, ram”), built on a stem *festo- which may be connected to ferula (“fennel; staff”) by a root *fes- (“hollow stalk”). This makes any relationship to findō (“cleave, divide, split”) unlikely.

Descendants
  • Frenchfellefrom Old French festre
  • Frenchfêlefrom Old French festre
  • Englishfesterfrom Old French festre
  • Spanishfistra
  • Italianfistia
  • Italianfistio
  • Italianfistola
  • Englishfistula
  • Frenchfistule
  • Romanianfistulăfrom French fistule

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

AntiquitiesFistulaFistula (σωλήν), a water-pipe. Vitruvius (8.6) distinguishes three modes of conveying water: by channels of masonry (per canales structiles), by leade…

Quick answers

What does fistula mean in Latin?
fistula, a noun, means “pipe, tube, especially a water pipe; hollow reed or cane; shepherd's pipe, pipes of Pan”.
What is the genitive of fistula?
The genitive singular is fistulae. fistula is feminine, first declension.
How do you pronounce fistula?
In classical Latin, [ˈfɪs.tʊ.ɫa]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈfis.tu.la].