LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · neutersecond declension

hīlum

hīlum n (genitive hīlī)
Classical[ˈhiː.ɫũː]Ecclesiastical[ˈiː.lum]

Meaning

  1. trifle
  2. not a whit, not in the least
    Quae dedit ipsa capit, neque dispendī facit hīlum; quod valet: nec dispendī facit quicquam.What it gives, it takes it back and doesn't waste a whit.
  3. New Latinhilum

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativehīlumhīla
genitivehīlīhīlōrum
dativehīlōhīlīs
accusativehīlumhīla
ablativehīlōhīlīs
vocativehīlumhīla

hīlum, i, n. the primitive of nihilum, i. e. ne-hilum and nihil; etym. unknown; acc to Festus: hilum putant esse, quod grano fabae adhaeret, ex quo nihil et nihilum, Paul. ex Fest. p. 101 Müll.; cf.: hilum breve quoddam, Non. 121, 3; acc. to Varr. L. L. 5, § 111 Müll., perh. kindr. with hillae,
I. a little thing, a trifle; usually with a negative, not in the least, not a whit, nothing at all (ante-class.): (Ennius) Quae dedit ipsa capit, neque dispendi facit hilum; quod valet: nec dispendi facit quicquam, Varr. L. L. 9, § 54; 5, § 111 (Ann. v. 14 Vahl.); cf.: Sisyphus versat Saxum sudans nitendo neque proficit hilum, Poet. ap. Cic. Tusc. 1, 6, 10: nec defit ponderis hilum, Lucr. 3, 220: neque hilum, id. 3, 518; 783; 4, 379; cf. also: neque hilo Majorem interea capiunt dulcedinis fructum, id. 5, 1409.—Without a negative: aliquid prorsum de summa detrahere hilum, Lucr. 3, 514; id. 4, 515.

Origins

Unknown, possibly from a Semitic source, or a variant of fīlum (“thread”) if the original sense was “little thread, fiber”.

Descendants
  • Catalanhílum
  • Englishhilum
  • Englishhilus
  • Frenchhile
  • GermanHilum
  • Italianilo
  • Portuguesehilo
  • Spanishhilio

In English words that came into English from hīlum

  • nihilismnihilismus
  • annihilateannihilātus
  • nihilistnihil
  • nilnīl
  • hilumhīlum
  • floccinaucinihilipilificationfloccus
  • nihilnihil
  • nihilitynihilitās
  • nihilationnihilō
  • nihilatenihilō

Quick answers

What does hīlum mean in Latin?
hīlum, a noun, means “trifle; not a whit, not in the least; hilum”.
What is the genitive of hīlum?
The genitive singular is hīlī. hīlum is neuter, second declension.
How do you pronounce hīlum?
In classical Latin, [ˈhiː.ɫũː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈiː.lum].
Which English words come from hīlum?
English words that go back to Latin hīlum include hilum, nihilist, floccinaucinihilipilification, nihil, nihilism and annihilate.