LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinesecond declension

fūcus1

fūcus m (genitive fūcī)
Classical[ˈfuː.kʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈfuː.kus]

Meaning

  1. seaweed; orchil, orchella weed, Roccella tinctoria
  2. red dye derived from it; (in general) dyestuff
  3. rouge
  4. coloring
  5. poeticthe reddish bee glue, propolis
    (apēs) in tēctīs certātim tenvia cērā/spīrāmenta linunt fūcōque et flōribus ōrās/explentin their homes they (the bees) eagerly smear the passages with wax, fill the entrances with bee glue and nectarc. 37 BCE – 30 BCE, Vergilius, Georgicon 4.38–40
  6. pretence, disguise, sham
    fūcum facereto play a trick
  7. artificial embellishment of literary style

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativefūcusfūcī
genitivefūcīfūcōrum
dativefūcōfūcīs
accusativefūcumfūcōs
ablativefūcōfūcīs
vocativefūcefūcī

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

sine fuco ac fallaciis (Att. 1. 1. 1)
without any disguise, frankly.

† fūcus, i, m., = φῦκος,
I. rock-lichen, orchil, used as a red dye for woollen goods, Lichen roccella, Linn., Plin. 26, 10, 66, § 103 sq.: ut lana tincta fuco citra purpuras placet, Quint. 12, 10, 75.—
II. Transf., red or purple color.
A. In gen.: infici vestes scimus admirabili fuco, Plin. 22, 2, 3, § 3; Hor. C. 3, 5, 28; id. Ep. 1, 10, 27 Orell. ad loc.; Ov. M. 6, 222 al.—
B. In partic.
1. Rouge, paint for the complexion: vetulae, quae vitia corporis fuco occulunt, Plaut. Most. 1, 3, 118: si caeruleo quaedam sua tempora fuco tinxerit, Prop. 2, 18, 31 (3, 11, 10 M.): mangones colorem fuco, et rerum robur inani sagina mentiantur, Quint. 2, 15, 25.—
2. Dross, alloy, adulteration: adulteratur (sal) rubrica aut testa trita, qui fucus aqua deprehenditur diluente, Plin. 31, 7, 42, § 91.—
3. For propolis (q. v.), the reddish juice with which bees stop up the entrances to their hive, bee-glue, Verg. G. 4, 39. —
III. Trop., pretence, disguise, deceit, dissimulation: his tribus figuris insidere quidam venustatis non fuco illitus, sed sanguine diffusus debet color, Cic. de Or. 3, 52, 199; cf.: sententiae tam verae, tam novae, tam sine pigmentis fucoque puerili, id. ib. 2, 45, 188: fuco ementitus color, Quint. 8, 3, 6: in oratoris aut in poëtae cincinnis ac fuco, Cic. de Or. 3, 25, 100: mercem sine fucis gestat, Hor. S. 1, 2, 83: nec sycophantiis nec fucis ullum mantellum obviam est, Plaut. Capt. 3, 3, 6: sine fuco ac fallaciis, Cic. Att. 1, 1, 1: deum sese in hominem convertisse ... fucum factum mulieri, i. e. to deceive, impose upon (vulg.), Ter. Eun. 3, 5, 41: si eum, qui tibi promiserit, audieris fucum, ut dicitur, facere velle aut senseris, Q. Cic. Petit. Cons. 9, 35.

Origins

Borrowed from Ancient Greek φῦκος (phûkos, “seaweed, orchil”).

Descendants
  • Cornishfugfrom Proto-Brythonic *fʉg
  • Welshffugfrom Proto-Brythonic *fʉg

In English words that came into English from fūcus

  • fucosefūcus
  • fucusfūcus
  • fucoxanthinfūcus
  • fucosterolfūcus
  • fucatefūcātus

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

AntiquitiesFucusFucus (φῦκος) was the general term to signify the paint which the Greek and Roman ladies employed in painting their cheeks, eyebrows, and other parts …
noun · masculinesecond declension
fūcus2
fūcus m (genitive fūcī)
Classical[ˈfuː.kʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈfuː.kus]

Meaning

  1. male bee, drone
    immunisque sedens aliena ad pabula fucusc. 37 BCE – 30 BCE, Vergilius, Georgicon 2.244
    m pl (Grecian)
  2. unmanned aircraft drone
    Priore hebdomada XIX “fuci” Poloniam petierunt, aliquot a finitima Bielorussia: partim ceciderunt, partim deiecti sunt ab aëronavibus Natonis.Last week, nineteen drones entered Poland, several of which from neighbouring Belarus: some hit, others were intercepted by NATO aircraft.2025 September 21, Lydia Ariminensis, “Aëromobiles a Russia in caelum alienum evolaverunt”, in Ephemeris:

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativefūcusfūcī
genitivefūcīfūcōrum
dativefūcōfūcīs
accusativefūcumfūcōs
ablativefūcōfūcīs
vocativefūcefūcī

fūcus, i, m.,
I. a drone, Varr. R. R. 3, 16, 19; Verg. G. 4, 244; 168; id. A. 1, 435; Col. 9, 15, 5.

Origins

From Proto-Italic *foikos, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰoy-ko-s, from *bʰey-. Cognate with Old Irish bech, English bee, and possibly Ancient Greek σφήξ (sphḗx, “wasp”). Sense two is a Semantic loan from English drone.

Descendants
  • Italianfuco

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

AntiquitiesFucusFucus (φῦκος) was the general term to signify the paint which the Greek and Roman ladies employed in painting their cheeks, eyebrows, and other parts …

Quick answers

What does fūcus mean in Latin?
fūcus, a noun, means “seaweed; orchil, orchella weed, Roccella tinctoria; red dye derived from it”.
What is the genitive of fūcus?
The genitive singular is fūcī. fūcus is masculine, second declension.
How do you pronounce fūcus?
In classical Latin, [ˈfuː.kʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈfuː.kus].
Which English words come from fūcus?
English words that go back to Latin fūcus include fucose, fucus, fucoxanthin, fucosterol and fucate.