LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · neutersecond declension

impluvium

impluvium n (genitive impluviī or impluvī)
Classical[ɪmˈpɫʊ.wi.ũː]Ecclesiastical[imˈpluː.vi.um]
Mille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. neutera rectangular courtyard basin or pool into which rain water is collected by a compluvium above it.

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

lacus parvus in mediō ātriō, quō aqua pluvia dē tēctō cadit.
impluvium -ī n — in Mille Verba, Domus et Familia

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeimpluviumimpluvia
genitiveimpluviī
impluvī		impluviōrum
dativeimpluviōimpluviīs
accusativeimpluviumimpluvia
ablativeimpluviōimpluviīs
vocativeimpluviumimpluvia

implŭvĭum (inpl-), ĭi, n. impluo.
I. Lit., a skylight, the opening in the roof of the atrium in a Roman house through which the smoke issued, so called because it admitted the rain (cf. compluvium): per inpluvium intro spectant, Plaut. Mil. 2, 2, 4 Brix ad loc.: nescio quis inspectavit per nostrum inpluvium intus apud nos Philocomasium, id. ib. v. 19: per inpluvium huc despexi, id. ib. 2, 3, 16: in alienas tegulas venisse clanculum per inpluvium, Ter. Eun. 3, 5, 41: anguis per inpluvium decidit de tegulis, id. Phorm. 4, 4, 26; cf.: utin' inpluvium erat induta? Plaut. Ep. 2, 2, 43: vincula per impluvium in tegulas subduci, Gell. 10, 15, 8.—
II. Transf.
A. The square basin in the atrium into which the rain-water was received: si relictum erat in medio ut lucem caperet, deorsum quo impluebat dictum impluvium, susum qua compluebat, compluvium, Varr. L. L. 5, § 161 Müll.; Paul. ex Fest. p. 108 Müll.: rus signa, quae nunc ad impluvium tuum stant, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 23, § 61: columnae ad impluvium, id. ib. 2, 1, 56, § 147.—
B. The uncovered central space in the atrium: palmam enatam in inpluvio suo T. Marcus Figulus nuntiabat, Liv. 43, 13, 6.

Origins

From impluit (“it rains upon”) + -ium, from in + pluit (“it rains”).

Descendants
  • Catalanimpluvi
  • Englishimpluvium
  • Frenchimpluvium
  • Italianimpluvio

Quick answers

What does impluvium mean in Latin?
impluvium, a noun, means “a rectangular courtyard basin or pool into which rain water is collected by a compluvium above it.”.
What is the genitive of impluvium?
The genitive singular is impluviī. impluvium is neuter, second declension.
How do you pronounce impluvium?
In classical Latin, [ɪmˈpɫʊ.wi.ũː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [imˈpluː.vi.um].