LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
proper noun · neutersecond declension

Herculāneum

Herculāneum n sg (genitive Herculāneī)
Classical[hɛr.kʊˈɫaː.ne.ũː]Ecclesiastical[er.kuˈlaː.ne.um]

Meaning

  1. Herculaneum (an ancient town in modern Campania, Italy, which was entirely destroyed by the same eruption of Vesuvius that also turned Pompeii into a ruin)

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeHerculāneum—
genitiveHerculāneī—
dativeHerculāneō—
accusativeHerculāneum—
ablativeHerculāneō—
vocativeHerculāneum—
locativeHerculāneī—

Hercŭlānĕum (Hercŭlānĭum, Plin. 3, 5, 9, § 62; but the modern form Herculanum is not Lat.; in Cic. Att. 7, 3, 1, read Aeculanum; v. Orell. ad loc.), ĕi, n., = Ἡράκλειον,
I. a town of Campania, situated on the sea-coast, between Naples and Pompeii, and buried along with the latter city by an eruption of Vesuvius, A. D. 79, Mel. 2, 4, 9; Plin. 3, 5, 9, § 62; Sisenn. ap. Non. 207, 9; Liv. 10, 45; Vell. 2, 16, 2; Sen. Q. N. 6, 26 fin.; Flor. 1, 16.—
II. Derivv.
A. Her-cŭlānĕus (-lanus), a, um, adj., of or belonging to Herculaneum, Herculanean: via, Cic. Agr. 2, 14, 36; Plin. 15, 18, 18, § 72; Cloat. ap. Macr. S. 2, 16.—Form Herculanus: ficus, Cato, R. R. 8, 1: via, Flor. 4, 8, 6.—
B. Hercŭlānensis, e, adj., the same: fundus, Cic. Fam. 9, 25, 3; for which absol.: villa in Herculanensi, in the vicinity of Herculaneum, Sen. de Ira, 3, 22. —Subst.: Hercŭlānenses, ĭum, m. plur., the inhabitants of Herculaneum, Herculaneans, Inscr. Grut. 439, 6.

Origins

Named for the mythical figure Hercules.

Descendants
  • EnglishHerculaneum
  • FrenchHerculanum
  • ItalianErcolano
  • SpanishHerculano

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

GeographyHerculaneumHerculaneum (the form Herculan um appears to be erroneous: in the passage of Cicero (ad Att. 7.3.1) generally cited in support of it, the true reading…

Quick answers

What does Herculāneum mean in Latin?
Herculāneum, a proper noun, means “Herculaneum (an ancient town in modern Campania, Italy, which was entirely destroyed by the same eruption of Vesuvius that also turned Pompeii into a ruin)”.
What is the genitive of Herculāneum?
The genitive singular is Herculāneī. Herculāneum is neuter, second declension.
How do you pronounce Herculāneum?
In classical Latin, [hɛr.kʊˈɫaː.ne.ũː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [er.kuˈlaː.ne.um].