LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinethird declension

fūr

fūr m or f (genitive fūris)
Classical[ˈfuːr]Ecclesiastical[ˈfur]
Mille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. a thief
    Quod si XII tabulae nocturnum furem quoquo modo, diurnum autem, si se telo defenderet, interfici impune voluerunt, quis est qui, quoquo modo quis interfectus sit, puniendum putet, cum videat aliquando gladium nobis ad hominem occidendum ab ipsis porrigi legibus?52 BCE, Cicero, Pro Milone 3.9
  2. derogatoryespeciallya rogue, rascal, blackguard
    [Pythodicus][…]sed uter vestrorum est celerior? memora mihi. [Anthrax] Ego, et multo melior. [Pythodicus] Cocum ego, non furem rogo. [Anthrax] Cocum ergo dico. [Pythodicus] Quid tu ais? [Congrio] Sic sum ut vides. [Anthrax] Cocus ille nundinalest, in nonum diem solet ire coctum. [Congrio] Tun, trium litterarum homo, me vituperas? fur. [Anthrax] Etiam fur, trifurcifer.c. 186 BCE, Plautus, Aulularia 2.4.42–47
  3. broadlya robber-bee, a bee that steals honey from other beehives
    Invitent croceis [apes] halantes floribus horti Et custos furum atque avium cum falce salignaMay gardens bright, fragrant with flower, lure them [the bees] and Hellespontian Priap with his willow scythe the robbing bee and the birds keep away.c. 37 BCE – 30 BCE, Vergilius, Georgicon 4.109–111

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

quī rēs aliēnās capit, dum nēmō videt.
fūr fūris m — in Mille Verba, Urbs et Aedificia

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativefūr
fūrō, phūr		fūrēs
fūrōnēs, phūrēs
genitivefūris
fūrōnis, phūris		fūrum
fūrōnum, phūrum
dativefūrī
fūrōnī, phūrī		fūribus
fūrōnibus, phūribus
accusativefūrem
fūrōnem, phūrem		fūrēs
fūrōnēs, phūrēs
ablativefūre
fūrōne, phūre		fūribus
fūrōnibus, phūribus
vocativefūr
fūrō, phūr		fūrēs
fūrōnēs, phūrēs

fūr, fūris, comm. root fer-, v. fero; cf. Gr. φώρ, Gell. 1, 18,
I. a thief (syn.: latro, praedo, pirata, raptor).
I. Lit.: quodsi duodecim tabulae nocturnum furem quoquo modo, diurnum autem, si se telo defenderet, interfici impune voluerunt, etc., Cic. Mil. 3, 9: ita in legibus posiverunt, furem duplici comdemnari, feneratorem quadrupli, Cato, R. R. praef. § 1: fures privatorum furtorum, opp. fures publici, id. ap. Gell. 11, 18, 18: canes aluntur in Capitolio, ut significent, si fures venerint, Cic. Rosc. Am. 20, 56: fures aerari, Sall. C. 52, 12: a Philippo interrogatus, quid latraret, furem se videre respondit, Cic. de Or. 2, 54, 220: M. Carbo condemnatus, fur magnus, e Sicilia, i. e. extortioner, id. Fam. 9, 21, 3: ne quis fur esset, neu latro, neu quis adulter, Hor. S. 1, 3, 106: (Priapus) furum aviumque Maxima formido, id. ib. 1, 8, 3: Sallustius historicus priscorum verborum ineruditissimus fur, Suet. Gram. 15: fur tuos, i. e. who carried you off, Plaut. Capt. 5, 4, 21.—In the fem.: fures estis ambae, Plaut. Poen. 5, 4, 67.—
II. Transf.
A. As a term of vituperation applied to slaves, thief, rascal, rogue, knave: tun' trium litterarum homo Me vituperas? fur, etiam fur trifurcifer, Plaut. Aul. 2, 4, 47; cf.: non fur, sed trifur? id. ib. 4, 4, 6; 4, 10, 38 sc.; id. Cas. 3, 6, 1; id. Ps. 1, 3, 131 et saepe quid domini faciant, audent cum talia fures! Verg. E. 3, 16: manipulus furum, Ter. Eun. 4, 7, 6.—
B. A robber-bee, drone, usually called fucus, Varr. R. R. 3, 16, 19.

Origins

From Proto-Italic *fōr, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰṓr, from the root *bʰer- (“to carry”) (see ferō). Cognate with Ancient Greek φώρ (phṓr).

Elsewhere
  • Italianfuro
  • Italianfuio
  • Portuguesefurãofrom Late Latin fūrō, fūrōnis
  • Spanishhurónfrom Late Latin fūrō, fūrōnis
  • Italianfurettofrom Vulgar Latin *furittum
  • Occitanfuretfrom Vulgar Latin *furittum
  • Occitanhuretfrom Vulgar Latin *furittum
  • Occitanfurafrom Vulgar Latin *furittum
  • Frenchfuretfrom Vulgar Latin *furittum
  • GermanFrettfrom Vulgar Latin *furittum
Old Occitan
  • Catalanfura
  • Catalanfuró
  • Occitanfura
Eastern Romance
  • Romanianfur
  • Aromanianfur

Quick answers

What does fūr mean in Latin?
fūr, a noun, means “a thief; a rogue, rascal, blackguard; a robber-bee, a bee that steals honey from other beehives”.
What is the genitive of fūr?
The genitive singular is fūris. fūr is masculine, third declension.
How do you pronounce fūr?
In classical Latin, [ˈfuːr]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈfur].