LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininethird declension

frōns1

frōns f or m (genitive frontis)
Classical[ˈfrõːs]Ecclesiastical[ˈfrɔns]
№ 559 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. literallythe forehead, brow, front
    […] sit dēnique īnscrīptum in fronte ūnīus cuiusque quid dē rē pūblicā sentiat.Finally, let it be inscribed on the forehead of each one what he thinks about the Republic. (A reference to the ancient Roman practice of branding or tattooing runaway slaves and hardened criminals; the forehead was the most visible and degrading location for this mark of shame.)63 BCE, Cicero, In Catilinam orationes 1.32
  2. literallythe brow or countenance as an indicator of the feelings
  3. figurativelyas the mirror of a person's character or feelings
  4. figurativelyas expressing shame
    frontem perfricāreto assume a bold air
  5. figurativelya sense of modesty; decorum, decency
    exclāmet Melicerta perīsse frontem dē rēbus34 CE – 62 CE, Persius, 5 104
  6. Late Latinfigurativelyas expressing impudence, boldness
  7. the outward appearance, external quality, look (as distinct from inward nature)
    [...] et maestam dictīs adgressa sorōrem, cōnsilium voltū tegit, ac spem fronte serēnat [...].… and [as Dido] approaches her sorrowful sister to talk, by her expression she hides her plan, and even shines with serene hope in her appearance.29 BCE – 19 BCE, Vergilius, Aeneis 4.476–477
    prīmā fronteat first sight
  8. the forepart of anything; the front, facade (as opposed to back and sides)
    ā fronte, in fronte, in prīmā fronte, in frontemin front, to the fore
  9. the front of an army or fleet in battle array
  10. frontage (the part facing the road, river, coastline), usually in ref. to its length
  11. the coastline; a projecting piece of coast
  12. the outer extremity or face, the outer or inner surface (eg. of a wall), the top or bottom end (of a trench), the broad side (of a rectangle)
  13. either of the flat ends of a papyrus scroll
  14. the exposed surface, outer side of anything

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

pars faciēī super oculōs.
frōns frontis f — in Mille Verba, Corpus Hūmānum

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativefrōns
frūns		frontēs
frondēs, frundēs
genitivefrontis
frondis, frundis		frontium
frondium, frundium
dativefrontī
frondī, frundī		frontibus
frondibus, frundibus
accusativefrontem
frondem, frundem		frontēs
frontīs, frondēs, frondīs, frundēs, frundīs
ablativefronte
fronde, frunde		frontibus
frondibus, frundibus
vocativefrōns
frūns		frontēs
frondēs, frundēs

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

frontem ferire, percutere
to beat one's brow.
sententiam fronte celare, tegere
not to betray one's feelings by one's looks.
in fronte alicuius inscriptum est
one can see it in his face.
frontem contrahere (opp. explicare)
to frown.

frons (also anciently fruns; plur. frundes, Enn. Ann. 266 Vahl.; cf. Charis. p. 105 P.—Also in nom. fros or frus, Varr. ib.; Enn. v in the foll.; cf. Prisc. p. 554 P.; and FRONDIS, acc. to Serv. Verg. G. 2, 372), dis, f. etym. dub.,
I. a leafy branch, green bough, foliage.
I. Lit. (class.; in sing. and plur.; syn. folium).
(a). Sing.: populea frus, Enn. ap. Aus. Technop. (Edyll. 5) 158 sq. (id. Ann. v. 562 Vahl.): ilignea, quernea, Cato, R. R. 37, 2: in nemoribus, ubi virgulta et frons multa, Varr. R. R. 2, 5, 11: bobus praestabit vilicus frondem, Col. 11, 3, 101: alta frons decidit, Varr. ap. Non. 486, 13: ne caules allii in frondem luxurient, Plin. 19, 6, 34, § 113: perenni frunde corona, Lucr. 1, 119: nigrae feraci frondis in Algido, Hor. C. 4, 4, 58: sine fronde, Ov. Tr. 3, 10, 75: immaturam destringere, Quint. 12, 6, 2.—
(b). Plur.: russescunt frundes, Enn. ap. Charis. p. 105 P. (Ann. v. 266 Vahl.): deserta via et inculta atque interclusa jam frondibus et virgultis relinquatur, Cic. Cael. 18, 42: viminibus salices fecundi, frondibus ulmi, Verg. G. 2, 446: frondibus teneris non adhibendam esse falcem, Quint. 2, 4, 11: bovemque Disjunctum curas et strictis frondibus exples, Hor. Ep. 1, 14, 28; id. C. 3, 18, 14.—
II. Poet. transf., a garland made of leafy boughs, a garland of leaves, leafy chaplet: donec Alterutrum velox victoria fronde coronet, Hor. Ep. 1, 18, 64; so in sing., id. C. 4, 2, 36; id. Ep. 2, 1, 110: nos delubra deum festa velamus fronde, Verg. A. 2, 249; 5, 661; Ov. M. 1, 449; 565; id. A. A. 1, 108.—In plur., Ov. F. 1, 711; 3, 482.

Origins

Unknown. Per De Vaan, "no plausible etymology." Pokorny compares Irish braine (“prow, edge”), Old Norse brandr (“acroterium”)), deriving them from *bʰren- (“to project; edge”). De Vaan finds these proposed relationships to be unconvincing due to semantic difficulties. De Vaan suggests a possible derivation from Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰron-t- (“side where the mouth is, front”), perhaps from a root *gʷʰren-, itself perhaps the source of Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰrendʰ-. If this scenario is accepted, the term could be related to Latin frendō. However, De Vaan concedes that this explanation is "speculative."

Elsewhere
  • Italianfronte
  • Frenchfrontfrom Old French front
  • Englishfrontfrom Old French front
  • Catalanfrontfrom Old Occitan front
  • Occitanfròntfrom Old Occitan front
  • Portuguesefrontefrom Old Galician-Portuguese fronte
  • Spanishfrentefrom Old Spanish fruente
  • Englishfrons
  • Sardinianfronte
  • Sardinianfronti
Eastern Romance
  • Romanianfrunte
  • Aromanianfrãmti
  • Aromanianfrãmte
  • Aromanianfrumti
  • Aromanianfrumte
  • Aromanianfrunti
  • Aromanianfrunte
Old Leonese
  • Asturianfrente
noun · femininethird declension
frōns2
frōns f (genitive frondis)
№ 559 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. literallya leafy branch; foliage; greenery
    Near-synonym: folium
    Limumque tenent in fronde relictum. (Metamorphoses, 1, 347, Ovidius)And they hold some leftover mud in their foliage. (Metamorphoses, 1, 347, Ovid)
  2. poetica garland made of leaves or twigs

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativefrōnsfrondēs
frontēs, frundēs
genitivefrondis
frontis, frundis		frondium
frontium, frundium
dativefrondī
frontī, frundī		frondibus
frontibus, frundibus
accusativefrondem
frontem, frundem		frondēs
frondīs, frontēs, frontīs, frundēs, frundīs
ablativefronde
fronte, frunde		frondibus
frontibus, frundibus
vocativefrōnsfrondēs
frontēs, frundēs

frons, frontis, f. (
I. masc., Cato ap. Gell. 15, 9, 5; and ap. Fest. s. v. recto, p. 286, b, Müll.; Plaut. Mil. 2, 2, 46 Ritschl, N. cr.; id. ap. Non. 205, 4; Caecil. ap. Gell. 15, 9, 3; Vitr. 10, 17) [cf. Sanscr. brhū; Gr. ὀφρύς; Germ. Braue; Engl. brow; v. Georg Curtius Gr. Etym. p. 296], the forehead, brow, front (syn.: vultus, os, facies).
I. Lit.: frons et aliis (animalibus), sed homini tantum tristitiae, hilaritatis, clementiae, severitatis index: in adsensu ejus supercilia homini et pariter et alterna mobilia, Plin. 11, 37, 51, § 138: tanta erat gravitas in oculo, tanta contractio frontis, ut illo supercilio res publica, tamquam Atlante caelum, niti videretur, Cic. Sest. 8, 19: frontem contrahere, to contract or knit the brows, id. Clu. 26, 72; Hor. S. 2, 2, 125; for which, adducere, Sen. Ben. 1, 1: attrahere, id. ib. 6, 7: remittere frontem, to smooth the brow, i. e. to cheer up, Plin. Ep. 2, 5, 5; for which: exporge frontem, Ter. Ad. 5, 3, 53; cf.: primum ego te porrectiore fronte volo mecum loqui, Plaut. Cas. 2, 4, 3: explicare, Hor. C. 3, 29, 16; solvere, Mart. 14, 183: ut frontem ferias, smitest thy forehead (as a sign of vexation), Cic. Att. 1, 1, 1; cf.: nulla perturbatio animi, nulla corporis, frons non percussa, non femur, id. Brut. 80, 278: femur, pectus, frontem caedere, Quint. 2, 12, 10: frontem sudario tergere, id. 6, 3, 60; for which: siccare frontem sudario, id. 11, 3, 148: capillos a fronte retroagere, id. ib. 160: mediam ferro gemina inter tempora frontem Dividit, Verg. A. 9, 750: quorundam capita per medium frontis et verticis mucrone distincta, in utrumque humerum pendebant, Amm. 31, 7, 14: insignem tenui fronte Lycorida (a small forehead was regarded as a beauty by the ancients), Hor. C. 1, 33, 5; cf. id. Ep. 1, 7, 26; Petr. 126; Mart. 4, 42, 9; Arn. 2, 72.—Of the forehead of animals: est bos cervi figura: cujus a media fronte, etc., Caes. B. G. 6, 26, 1: tauri torva fronte, Plin. 8, 45, 70, § 181: equi, Ov. Tr. 5, 9, 30: ovis, id. F. 4, 102: cui (haedo) frons turgida cornibus Primis, Hor. C. 3, 13, 4: (vitulus) Fronte curvatos imitatus ignes lunae, id. ib. 4, 2, 57.—In plur., Lucr. 5, 1034. —
2. The brow as a mirror of the feelings: non solum ex oratione, sed etiam ex vultu et oculis et fronte, ut aiunt, meum erga te amorem perspicere potuisses, Cic. Att. 14, 13, B, 1; cf. Q. Cic. Petit. Cons. 11, 44; and: homines fronte et oratione magis, quam ipso beneficio reque capiuntur, expression of countenance, id. ib. 12, 46: si verum tum, cum verissima fronte, dixerunt, nunc mentiuntur, Cic. Rab. Post. 12, 35: haec ipsa fero equidem fronte et vultu bellissime, sed angor intimis sensibus, id. Att. 5, 10, 3: frons, oculi, vultus persaepe mentiuntur; oratio vero saepissime, id. Q. F. 1, 1, 5, § 15; cf.: oculi, supercilia, frons, vultus denique totus, qui sermo quidam tacitus mentis est, hic in fraudem homines impulit, id. Pis. 1, 1; id. Fam. 1, 9, 17: fronte occultare sententiam, id. Lael. 18, 65: tranquilla et serena, id. Tusc. 3, 15, 31; cf.: reliquiae pristinae frontis, id. Fam. 9, 10, 2: laeta, Verg. A. 6, 862: sollicita, Hor. C. 3, 29, 16: tristis, Tib. 2, 3, 33: gravis, Plin. Pan. 41, 3: humana, lenis, placida, Sen. Ben. 2, 13: inverecunda, Quint. 2, 4, 16: proterva, Hor. C. 2, 5, 16: urbana (i. e. impudens), id. Ep. 1, 9, 11: impudens, proterva, Aug. Op. imperf. c. Jul. 6, 21: impudentissima, id. ib. 26; cf.: impudentia frontis, Hier. adv. Rufin. 1, 7: fronte inverecunda nummos captare, Val. Max. 8, 2, 2.—In plur.: si populo grata est tabella, quae frontes aperit hominum, mentes tegat, Cic. Planc. 6, 16.—
3. Prov.: frons occipitio prior est, i. e. better work before the master's face than behind his back, Cato, R. R. 4; Plin. 18, 5, 6, § 31.—
B. Transf
1. The forepart of any thing, the front, façade, van (opp. tergum and latus): copias ante frontem castrorum struit, Caes. B. C. 3, 37, 1: aedium, Vitr. 3, 2: parietum, id. 2, 8: januae, Ov. F. 1, 135: scena, Verg. G. 3, 24: (navium), id. A. 5, 158: pontis, Hirt. B. G. 8, 9, 4: collis ex utraque parte lateris dejectus habebat, et in frontem leniter fastigatus, etc., Caes. B. G. 2, 8; 7, 23: intervallum justum arborum quadrageni pedes in terga frontemque, in latera viceni, Plin. 17, 23, 35, § 202; cf. Quint. 1, 10, 43: octo cohortes in fronte constituit, Sall. C. 59, 2: quatuor legionum aquilae per frontem, Tac. H. 2, 89: una fronte contra hostem castra muniunt, only in front, Caes. B. C. 1, 80, 2 Herz.: aequa fronte ad pugnam procedebat, Liv. 36, 44, 1: nec tamen aequari frontes poterant, cum extenuando infirmam mediam aciem haberent, id. 5, 38, 2: recta fronte concurrere hosti (opp. in dextrum cornu), Curt. 4, 13 med.; cf.: directa fronte pugnandum est, Quint. 5, 13, 11: veritus ne simul in frontem simul et latera suorum pugnaretur, Tac. Agr. 35: transisse aestuaria pulchrum ac decorum in frontem (i. e. fronti), for the front, the van, id. ib. 33: dextra fronte prima legio incessit, on the right front, i. e. on the right wing, id. H. 2, 24 fin.: laeva, Claud. in Ruf. 2, 174; cf.: frons laevi cornu haec erat, Curt. 4, 13 fin.—Poet. transf., of clouds: ut non tam concurrere nubes Frontibus adversis possint quam de latere ire, Lucr. 6, 117; of a precipice: Fronte sub adversa scopulis pendentibus antrum, Verg. A. 1, 166.—Esp. freq.: a fronte, in front, before (opp. a tergo and a latere): a tergo, a fronte, a lateribus tenebitur, si in Galliam venerit, Cic. Phil. 3, 13, 32: a fronte atque ab utroque latere cratibus ac pluteis protegebat, Caes. B. C. 1, 25 fin.: totis fere a fronte et ab sinistra parte nudatis castris, id. B. G. 2, 23, 4. —
2. The outer end of a book-roll or volume, Tib. 3, 1, 13; Ov. Tr. 1, 1, 11.—
3. The circumference of a wheel, Vitr. 10, 4.—
4. In measuring land = latitudo, the breadth: mille pedes in fronte, trecentos cippus in agrum Hic dabat, Hor. S. 1, 8, 12; Inscr. Orell. 4558; 4560.—
II. Trop.
A. The outside, exterior, external quality, appearance (cf. species and facies; mostly post-Aug.): Pompeius Scauro studet: sed utrum fronte an mente, dubitatur, Cic. Att. 4, 15, 7: plus habet in recessu, quam fronte promittat, Quint. 1, 4, 2; 11, 1, 61; cf.: frons causae non satis honesta, id. 4, 1, 42 Spald.: decipit Frons prima multos, the first appearance, Phaedr. 4, 2, 6; cf.: dura primā fronte quaestio, Quint. 7, 1, 56: ex prima statim fronte dijudicare imprudentium est, id. 12, 7, 8.—
B. The character or feelings expressed by the brow.
1. Poet. in partic., shame: exclamet perisse Frontem de rebus, Pers. 5, 104 (for which: clament periisse pudorem, Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 80).—
2. Impudence, boldness (late Lat.; cf. os), Aug. Civ. D. 3, 30.

Origins

Probably from a Proto-Indo-European *bʰrewd- (“to bud”), and related to Proto-Germanic *breutaną (“to crush, break”).

Descendants
  • Italianfronda
  • Spanishfronda
  • Catalanfronda
  • Englishfrond
  • Frenchfronde
  • Portuguesefronde
  • Spanishfronde
  • Friulianfrind

Quick answers

What does frōns mean in Latin?
frōns, a noun, means “the forehead, brow, front; the brow or countenance as an indicator of the feelings; as the mirror of a person's character or feelings”.
What is the genitive of frōns?
The genitive singular is frontis. frōns is feminine, third declension.
How do you pronounce frōns?
In classical Latin, [ˈfrõːs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈfrɔns].