noun · neutersecond declension
fretum
fretum n (genitive fretī)
Classical[ˈfrɛ.tũː]Ecclesiastical[ˈfrɛː.tum]
Mille Verba core vocabulary
Meaning
- neuterstrait, sound, estuary, channel.
Venerisne ad fretum per Mauretaniam?
Did you come to the strait via Mauritania?Marcus Tullius Cicero, Against Vatinius Ch. 5 - neuterthe strait of Sicily
- neuterSicily
Relinquebatur, ut ex longuinquioribus regionibus Galliae Picenique et a freto naves essent expectandae.
All that was left him was to wait for the arrival of ships from the remoter areas of Gaul and Picenum, and from Sicily.c. 48 BCE, Julius Caesar, Commentarii de bello civili 1.29 - neuterthe seas.
Et freta destituent nūdōs in lītore piscēs.
And the seas shall leave their fish bare on the shore.Publius Vergilius Maro, Eclogues 1 - neuterturmoil
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
mare angustum inter duās terrās.fretum -ī n — in Mille Verba, Mare et Nāvēs
mare angustumfretum -ī (n) — in IVLIANVS II: Imperium, ch. 18 and Metamorphoses I, ch. 5, 17, 23
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | fretum | freta |
| genitive | fretī | fretōrum |
| dative | fretō | fretīs |
| accusative | fretum | freta |
| ablative | fretō | fretīs |
| vocative | fretum | freta |
frĕtum, i, n., and frĕtus, ūs, m. root φρυ, to be in uneasy motion, boil, flash; cf. Sanscr. bhur; Lat. ferveo,
I. a strait, sound, channel.
I. Lit.
A. In gen.
(a). Form fretum:
fretum dictum a similitudine ferventis aquae, quod in fretum saepe concurrat aestus atque differvescat, Varr. L. L. 7, § 22; Isid. Orig. 13, 18: (presteres) freta circum Fervescunt, Lucr. 6, 427: quid de fretis aut de marinis aestibus plura dicam? Cic. Div. 2, 14, 34; cf.: aestus maritimi, fretorumque angustiae, id. N. D. 2, 7, 19; id. Mur. 17, 35: Seston Abydena separat urbe fretum, Ov. Tr. 1, 10, 28: fretum Siciliense, the Sicilian Strait, the Strait of Messina, Cic. N. D. 3, 10, 24; also called fretum Siciliae, Caes. B. C. 2, 3, 1; v. infra: fretum nostri maris et Oceani, i. e. the Gaditanian Strait, Strait of Gibraltar, Sall. J. 17, 4.—(b). Form fretus: salis fretus, Lucil. ap. Non. 205, 30; Naev. ib. 27 (Trag. Rel. p. 12 Rib.):
angusto fretu, Lucr. 1, 720; cf.: ut perangusto fretu divisa servitutis ac libertatis jura cognosceret, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 66, § 169 (cf. Gell. 13, 20, 15): in Scyllaeo illo aeris alieni tamquam in fretu, Cic. Sest. 8, 18: inter Italiam et Siciliam qui est fretus, Varr. ap. Non. 205, 31: a Gaditano fretu, Cic. ap. Charis. p. 103 P.: angustiae fretus, Messala, ib.: salsi fretus, Licin. ib.—B. In partic., the Strait, for the Strait of Sicily:
cum se ille septimo die venisse a freto dixisset, Cic. Att. 2, 1, 5; Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 59, § 154; 2, 2, 7 fin.; Caes. B. C. 1, 29, 1; Suet. Tib. 2; Flor. 2, 2; Hor. Epod. 9, 7 al.—II. Poet. transf.
A. In gen., the sea (syn.: mare, oceanus, pelagus, pontus).—Plur.:
fervet fretis spirantibus aequor, Verg. G. 1, 327: in freta dum fluvii current, id. A. 1, 607; cf. Ov. M. 1, 36: pastor cum traheret per freta navibus Idaeis Helenen, Hor. C. 1, 15, 1: fretis acrior Hadriae, id. ib. 1, 33, 15.—Sing.: Euxinum, Ov. P. 2, 2, 2: Libycum, id. F. 3, 568.—* B. Of the sky: (pulvis) omnem pervolat caeli fretum, Enn. ap. Non. 205, 29 (Trag. v. 31 Vahl.).—*
C. Of the spring, as the period of transition from cold to heat:
fretus ipse anni permiscet frigus et aestum, Lucr. 6, 364; so, freta anni, ib. 374 ex conject. Lachm. v. ej. annot. p. 369.—D. A raging, swelling, heat, violence:
aetatis freta, Lucr. 4, 1030; cf.: fretum adolescentiae, id est secunda imperii aetas, Flor. 1, 26: invidiae atque acerbitatis fretum effervescit, Gell. 10, 3, 7.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
fretum ī, n (abl. also fretū, m, C.)
FVR-, a strait, sound, channel : fretorum angustiae: freta inter currentia turres, H.: in freto Oceani, narrow sea , Ta.: Siciliense, the Strait of Messina : Siciliae, Cs.: ab Italiā freto diiunctus: actus freto Neptunius Dux (sc. Siciliae), H.: fretum nostri maris et Oceani, i. e. the Strait of Gibraltar , S.— The sea : fretum puppe secare, O.—Plur: In freta dum fluvii current, V.: fretis acrior Hadriae, H.—Fig., a strait, narrow sea : perangusto fretu divisa iura.— A gulf, abyss : in illo aeris alieni tamquam fretu.
Origins
Possibly from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- (“to brew, boil”) with the suffix *-eto-, but the zero-grade is inexplicable. In this case related to ferveō, fretāle and dēfrutum.
Italo-Dalmatian
- Italianfreto
- Italianfredo
- Italianfriedo
- Italianfrieo
- Old Venetanfrieto
Gallo-Romance
- Catalanfreu
- Spanishfreofrom Catalan freu
- Occitanfrieu
- Galicianfreufrom Catalan freu
Borrowings
- Englishfretum
- Englishfret
In English words that came into English from fretum
- fretumfretum
- fretfretum