LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininethird declension

grūs

grūs f or m (genitive gruis)
Classical[ˈɡruːs]Ecclesiastical[ˈɡrus]

Meaning

  1. crane (bird), sometimes eaten as a delicacy
  2. battering ram

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativegrūsgruēs
genitivegruisgruum
gruium
dativegruīgruibus
accusativegruemgruēs
ablativegruegruibus
vocativegrūsgruēs

grus, grŭis (also in the
I. nom. sing. gruis, Phaedr. 1, 8, 7), f. (m., Hor. S. 2, 8, 87) [Gr. γέρανος, akin to γέρων], a crane, Plin. 10, 23, 30, § 60; Cic. N. D. 2, 49, 125; Mart. 13, 75; Cels. 2, 18; Lucr. 4, 181; regarded by the Romans as a delicacy, Hor. S. 2, 8, 87; Gell. 7, 16, 5; Stat. S. 4, 6, 8.—
II. Transf. (with reference to the form of a crane's bill), a besieging machine, battering-ram, called also corvus, Vitr. 10, 19.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*gerh₂-
  2. Latingrūs

Proto-Indo-European *gerh₂ōwsder. Proto-Indo-European *-usinflu. Proto-Indo-European *gérh₂us ~ *gr̥h₂éws Proto-Italic *grūs Latin grus From Proto-Italic *grūs, from Proto-Indo-European *gr̥h₂-ú-s (which apparently metathesized to *grúh₂s), perhaps modified from *gerh₂ōws, in any case from the onomatopoeic root *gerh₂- (“to cry hoarsely”) which derived several words for birds, especially cranes and crows. Cognate with Proto-Slavic *žeravь, Old Prussian gerwe, and Lithuanian gérvė, all meaning “crane”. Also related to English crane, but probably not to grouse (of unknown origin). See also Latin grāculus (“jackdaw, chough”), Old Norse krákr (“raven, crow”), and English crow.

Descendants
  • Frenchgruefrom Late Latin grua
  • Catalangrua
  • EnglishGrus
  • Italiangru
  • Portuguesegrou
  • Portuguesegrua
  • Portuguesegrulha
  • Romaniangrui
  • Spanishgrulla
  • Spanishgrúa

Quick answers

What does grūs mean in Latin?
grūs, a noun, means “crane (bird), sometimes eaten as a delicacy; battering ram”.
What is the genitive of grūs?
The genitive singular is gruis. grūs is feminine, third declension.
How do you pronounce grūs?
In classical Latin, [ˈɡruːs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈɡrus].
Where does grūs come from?
Proto-Indo-European *gerh₂- → Latin grūs.