LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective

geminus1

geminus (feminine gemina, neuter geminum)
Classical[ˈɡɛ.mɪ.nʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈd͡ʒɛː.mi.nus]
Mille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. adjectivetwinborn, twin
    cum geminum partum edidissetWhen gave birth to the twin sons27 BCE – 25 BCE, Titus Livius, Ab urbe condita I.4
  2. adjectivedouble, paired, two, twofold, both, half-and-half
  3. adjectiveresembling, similar, like

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

duo simul nātī; frātrēs geminī.
geminus -a -um — in Mille Verba, ch. Vīta et Mors

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Duplex · Duplum · Geminus · Dupliciter · Bifariam

1. Duplex (δίπλαξ) denotes double, as distinct magnitudes to be counted: duplum (διπλοῦν) as continuous magnitudes to be weighed or measured. Duplex is used as an adjective, duplum as a substantive. Quintil. viii. 6, 42. In quo et numerus est duplex et duplum virium. 2. In duplex (as in διπλοῦς), doubleness is the primary, similarity and equality the secondary notion; in geminus (as in δίδυμος), the notion of similarity and equality is the primary, that of doubleness the secondary one. In Cic. Part. 6. Verba geminata et duplicata vel etiam sæpius iterata; the word geminata refers to the repetition of the same notion by synonymes; duplicata to the repetition of the same word. 3. Dupliciter is always modal; in two different manners, with double purpose; bifariam is local, in two places, or two parts. Cic. Fam. ix. 20. Dupliciter delectatus sum literis tuis; compare with Tusc. iii. 11. Bifariam quatuor perturbationes æqualiter distributæ sunt. (v. 281.)

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativegeminusgeminageminum
genitivegeminīgeminaegeminī
dativegeminōgeminaegeminō
accusativegeminumgeminamgeminum
ablativegeminōgemināgeminō
vocativegeminegeminageminum
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativegeminīgeminaegemina
genitivegeminōrumgeminārumgeminōrum
dativegeminīsgeminīsgeminīs
accusativegeminōsgemināsgemina
ablativegeminīsgeminīsgeminīs
vocativegeminīgeminaegemina

gĕmĭnus, a, um, adj. cf.: gener, genui (gigno),
I. born at the same time, twin-born, twin- (class.).
I. Lit.
A. Adj.: tibi sunt gemini et trigemini filii, Plaut. Mil. 3, 1, 123: filios parere, id. Am. 5, 1, 36: C. et L. Fabricii fratres gemini fuerunt ex municipio Aletrinati, twin-brothers, Cic. Clu. 16, 46; v. frater: sorores, Ov. M. 4, 774; Hor. C. 4, 7, 5; cf.: soror gemina germana, Plaut. Mil. 2, 4, 30: pueri, Verg. A. 8, 631: proles, id. ib. 1, 274: dei (i. e. Apollo and Diana), Enn. ap. Varr. L. L. 7, § 16 Müll. (Trag. v. 425 Vahl.): partus, Liv. 1, 4, 2: Castor, i. e. Castor and Pollux, Ov. A. A. 1, 746; cf. Pollux, Hor. C. 3, 29, 64: nec gemino bellum Trojanum orditur ab ovo, i. e. from Helen, the twin-daughter of Leda, id. A. P. 147: fratres, Amphion atque Zethus, id. Ep. 1, 18, 41: Quirini, i. e. Romulus and Remus, Juv. 11, 105.—Comically in the sup.: To. Hic ejus geminust frater. Do. Hicine'st? To. Ac geminissimus, Plaut. Pers. 5, 2, 49.—
B. Subst.: gĕmĭni, ōrum, m., twins: Servilii, qui gemini fuerunt ... ut mater geminos internoscit consuetudine oculorum, sic, etc., Cic. Ac. 2, 18, 56 sq.; cf.: geminorum formas esse similes, id. Div. 2, 43, 90; Liv. 1, 6, 4.—Of beasts: (asina) raro geminos parit, Plin. 8, 43, 68, § 168.—
2. In partic.
a. Gemini, as a constellation, The Twins (Castor and Pollux; acc. to others, Apollo and Hercules), Plin. 18, 29, 69, § 281; Varr. R. R. 2, 1, 7; called also geminum astrum, Col. poët. 10, 312.—
b. Acc. to the Gr. δίδυμοι, the testicles, i. q. testiculi (late Lat.), Sol. 13; Amm. 16, 7.—
II. Transf.
A. In gen., paired, double, two-fold, both, two, = duplex, duo: gemino lucernae lumine declarari, dissensionem et seditionem moveri, Cic. Div. 2, 58, 120; cf.: ex unis geminas mihi conficies nuptias, Ter. And. 4, 1, 51: et tripodes gemini, Verg. A. 9, 265: cum quaererent alii Numerium, alii Quintium, gemini nominis errore servatus est (Numerius Quintius), Cic. Sest. 38, 82: sunt geminae Somni portae, quarum altera, etc., Verg. A. 6, 894: scopuli, id. ib. 1, 162; cf.: vos, geminae voragines rei publicae, Cic. Pis. 18, 41: huc geminas nunc flecte acies, your pair of eyes, both eyes, Verg. A. 6, 788: tempora, id. ib. 5, 416: nares, id. G. 4, 300: cornua (Eridani), id. ib. 4, 371: manus, Mart. 10, 10, 10: pedes, Ov. F. 2, 154; for which: pes, id. A. A. 2, 644: geminae (vites), Col. 3, 2, 10 (for which: gemellae vites, Plin. 14, 2, 4, § 21): aliae (percussiones numerorum) sunt geminae, double, Cic. de Or. 3, 47, 182; cf.: geminis vocalibus, Quint. 1, 7, 14: M gemina, id. ib. 8: geminique tulit Chironis in antrum, double-formed (half man, half horse), Ov. M. 2, 630; 6, 126; cf.: corpus Tritonis (half man and half fish), Stat. S. 3, 2, 35: Cecrops (acc. to a myth, half man and half serpent, or half man and half woman; or else as Egyptian and Greek), Ov. M. 2, 555: GEMINA LEGIO, a double legion (formed out of two legions), epithet of the tenth legion in Hispania, Inscr. Orell. 72 sq.; 1214; 2090; 3376 al. (for which: gemella legio, Caes. B. C. 3, 4, 1; cf. Tac. H. 2, 58): cum geminis exsurgit mensa lucernis, seen double by one in drink, Juv. 6, 305.—
B. Resembling, similar, like, as twins: VOLO, MI FRATER, FRATERCULO TUO CREDAS: consorti quidem in lucris atque in furtis, gemino et simillimo nequitia, improbitate, audaciā, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 66, § 155; cf.: Dolabella et Antonius ... ecce tibi geminum in scelere par, a twin-pair, id. Phil. 11, 1, 2; Varr. L. L. 9, § 92: par est avaritia, similis improbitas, eadem impudentia, gemina audacia, Cic. Rosc. Am. 40, 118 fin.; cf. id. Rosc. Com. 18, 55: quae (memoria) est gemina litteraturae quodammodo et in dissimili genere persimilis, twin-sister, id. Part. 7, 26 (al. germana): illud vero geminum consiliis Catilinae et Lentuli, quod me domo mea expulistis, like, similar, id. Pis. 7, 16; cf.: ambobus geminus cupido laudis, Sil. 4, 99.

Origins

Presumably from Proto-Italic *yemanos, from Proto-Indo-European *yemH- (“twin”), in view of Proto-Celtic *yemonos (Old Irish emon (“twin”)). If this is true, the g- must have been analogically introduced from gignō (“to give birth to”), genus (“offspring”).

Descendants
  • Englishgeminous
  • Englishgeminal
  • Italiangemino
  • Portuguesegêmeo
  • Portuguesegémeo
  • Portuguesegémino
  • Romaniangeamăn
  • Spanishgémino
  • Aromaniandzeamin
  • Galicianxemio

In English words that came into English from geminus

  • geminategeminātus
  • gimbalgemellus
  • geminationgeminātiō
  • Geminigeminī
  • gemelgemellus
  • trigeminaltrigeminus
  • trigeminoustrigeminus
  • ingeminateingeminō
  • geminousgeminus
  • bigeminalbigeminus
  • tergeminoustergeminus
  • geminiflorousgeminus
proper noun · masculinesecond declension
Geminus2
Geminus m sg (genitive Geminī)
Classical[ˈɡɛ.mɪ.nʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈd͡ʒɛː.mi.nus]

Meaning

  1. masculinesingularA Roman cognomen — famously held by
  2. masculinesingularGnaeus Servilius Geminus, a Roman consul

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeGeminus—
genitiveGeminī—
dativeGeminō—
accusativeGeminum—
ablativeGeminō—
vocativeGemine—

Origins

From geminus (“twin”).

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

Biography & mythologyGeminusGeminus (Γεμῖνος). This name comes down to us in the manuscripts of Proclus, with a circumflex on the penultimate syllable. Gerard Vossius believes, n…

Quick answers

What does geminus mean in Latin?
geminus, a adjective, means “twinborn, twin; double, paired, two, twofold, both, half-and-half; resembling, similar, like”.
How do you pronounce geminus?
In classical Latin, [ˈɡɛ.mɪ.nʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈd͡ʒɛː.mi.nus].
Which English words come from geminus?
English words that go back to Latin geminus include geminous, geminiflorous, geminate, gimbal, Gemini and gemel.