LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinesecond declension

globus

globus m (genitive globī)
Classical[ˈɡɫɔ.bʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈɡlɔː.bus]

Meaning

  1. masculineany round object; a sphere; a globe
  2. masculinea glob, group

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Globus · Sphæra

Globus is the popular term for any body that is round like a ball; whereas sphæra is the scientific term, derived from the Greek for a mathematical globe. (vi. 147.)

Caterva · Cohors · Agmen · Grex · Globus · Turba

Caterva, cohors, and agmen, denote an assembled multitude in regular order, and caterva, as a limited whole, according to a sort of military arrangement; cohors, as respecting and observing the leadership of a commanding officer; agmen, as a solemn procession; whereas turba, grex, and globus, denote a multitude assembled in no regular order, grex, without form or order; turba, with positive disorder and confusion; globus, a thronging mass of people, which, from each person pressing towards the centre, assumes a circular form. (v. 361.)

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeglobusglobī
genitiveglobīglobōrum
dativeglobōglobīs
accusativeglobumglobōs
ablativeglobōglobīs
vocativeglobeglobī

glŏbus, i, m. kindr. with glomus,
I. a round body, a ball, sphere, globe.
I. Lit.
A. In gen.: cum duae formae praestantes sint, ex solidis globus (sic enim σφαῖραν interpretari placet), ex planis autem circulus aut orbis, qui κύκλος Graece dicitur, Cic. N. D. 2, 18, 47: ille globus, quae terra dicitur, id. Rep. 6, 15: terrae, id. Tusc. 1, 28, 68; cf. stellarum, id. Rep. 6, 16; 6, 17: solis et lunae, Lucr. 5, 472; cf. lunae, id. 5, 69: cum caelum discessisse visum est atque in eo animadversi globi, fire-balls, Cic. Div. 1, 43, 97: in fundas visci indebant grandiculos globos, Plaut. Poen. 2, 35: cordis, poet. for cor, Lucr. 4, 119: farinae, Varr. L. L. 5, § 107 Müll.; v. in the foll.—
B. In partic.
1. A dumpling: a globo farinae dilatato item in oleo cocti dicti globi, Varr. L. L. 5, § 107 Müll.; Cato, R. R. 79.—
2. In milit. lang., a close order of battle, a knot, troop, band, company, Cato ap. Fest. s. v. serra, p. 344 b. Müll.: cum globo juvenum, Liv. 1, 6, 7; 1, 12, 9: emissi militum globi turbam disjecere, Tac. A. 14, 61; 4, 50; 12, 43; 15, 60; Sil. 7, 53.—
II. Transf., a globular mass, a ball, globe of things collected together (mostly poet. and in post-Aug. prose; not in Cicero nor Cæsar): flammarumque globos liquefactaque volvere saxa, globes or masses of flame, Verg. G. 1, 473: sanguinis, Ov. M. 12, 238: nubium, Luc. 4, 74; Tac. A. 2, 23: telorum, Val. Fl. 6, 381. —A throng, crowd, body, or mass of people: extrema contio et circa Fabium globus increpabant inclementem dictatorem, Liv. 8, 32, 13: circa eum aliquot hominum, ne forte violaretur, constitisset globus, id. 2, 29, 2: cum repelleretur adsertor virginis a globo mulierum, id. 3, 47, 8: aditum senatus globus togatorum obsederat, Tac. A. 16, 27: magno semper electorum juvenum globo circumdari, id. G. 13; and with a contemptuous secondary notion: si quem ex illo globo nobilitatis ad hoc negotium mittatis, from that noble clique, Sall. J. 85, 10 Kritz.: conjurationis, Vell. 2, 58, 2; cf. consensionis, Nep. Att. 8, 4: Jehu, Vulg. 4 Reg. 9, 17.

Origins

Perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“form into a ball; ball”), but if so it may have to be via some substrate loan which was also absorbed by other Indo-European branches, based on the unexplained suffix and variants. Apparently cognate with Latin glaeba (“lump of earth, clod”) (see there for more), glomus, Sanskrit ग्लुन्थ (gluntha, “lump”), and Proto-Germanic *klumpô (“mass, lump, clump; clasp”), but the derivational morphologies of all such words are uncertain. Likely sound-symbolic in any case.

Borrowings
  • Englishglob
  • Englishglobe
  • Frenchglobe
  • Romanianglobfrom French globe
  • Italianglobo
  • Portugueseglobo
  • Spanishglobo
  • Galicianglobo
  • Hebrewגְּלוֹבּוּס
  • Hungariangolyóbis
Vulgar Latin
  • Italiangrovigliofrom unknown *globīlia
  • Italiangrovìgliorofrom unknown *globīlia
  • Normanlisseaufrom unknown *globuscellus

Quick answers

What does globus mean in Latin?
globus, a noun, means “any round object; a sphere; a globe”.
What is the genitive of globus?
The genitive singular is globī. globus is masculine, second declension.
How do you pronounce globus?
In classical Latin, [ˈɡɫɔ.bʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈɡlɔː.bus].