noun · neutersecond declension
glaesum
glaesum n (genitive glaesī)
Meaning
- neuteramber (fossil resin)
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | glaesum | glaesa glēsa |
| genitive | glaesī glēsī | glaesōrum glēsōrum |
| dative | glaesō glēsō | glaesīs glēsīs |
| accusative | glaesum | glaesa glēsa |
| ablative | glaesō glēsō | glaesīs glēsīs |
| vocative | glaesum | glaesa glēsa |
glaesum (glēsum, glessum), i, n. cf. Germ. Glas; gleissen = glänzen, to glimmer; Engl. glass,
I. amber, Tac. G. 45; Plin. 37, 3, 11, § 42.—Hence, glaesārĭus, a, um, adj., of amber, amber-:
insula, which produces amber, Plin. 4, 13, 27, § 97; 37, 3, 11, § 42.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
glaesum or glēsum ī, n
cf. Engl. glass, gloss, amber , Ta.
Origins
Borrowed from Proto-Germanic *glasą, possibly related root *glōaną (“to shine”) (compare glow), and ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root *ǵʰel- (“to shine, shimmer, glow”). An ancient theory by Tacitus claims this word to be a Latinization of what the Aestii, likely a Baltic people, call amber; compare Latvian dziñtars, Lithuanian giñtaras (“amber”).