LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininefirst declension

lacūna

lacūna f (genitive lacūnae)
Classical[ɫaˈkuː.na]Ecclesiastical[laˈkuː.na]

Meaning

  1. poetica hole, pit, ditch; (especially) a pool, pond
    […], unde cavae tepido sudant umore lacunae.[…], whence the great hollows (the cavity of the torrent) sweat of a tepid moisture.c. 37 BCE – 30 BCE, Vergilius, Georgicon 1.117
  2. poetican opening, cavity, hollow, cleft, chasm
    […], ut ne habeant lacunas nec extantes tumulos,[…][…], in such a way that they bear no holes nor protruding parts, […]c. 15 BCE, Vitruvius, De architectura 7.1.4
  3. Classical Latinfigurativelyrarea gap, void, defect, want, loss
    […], minimaque illa labes et quasi lacuna famae munimentis partarum amico utilitatium solidatur.[…] and this unimportant fault, a simple defect of good reputation is repaid (made firm again) by the excuse of new-found circumstances to help a friend.c. 177 CE, Aulus Gellius, Noctes Atticae 1.3.23

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Lacuna · Lacus · Stagnum · Palus · Uligo · Lama · Lustrum

Lacuna denotes, in poetical language, any standing water, from a sea to a pool; lacus and stagnum are collections of standing water kept sound and fresh by their own springs, or by ebbing and flowing; lacus (liquere) is large enough to bring to mind the image of the open sea, in opp. to the main sea, like λίμνη; stagnum, like a pond, not so large as to resemble a lake, in opp. to a stream, like τέναγος; whereas palus and uligo are collections of standing water corrupted and grown foul; palus (πλυδᾶν) is, like a marsh, a district covered with a surface of foul water, like ἕλος; uligo (from ὀλός) like a moor, a district soaked through with foul water. The palus appears as a mass of water made thick by mud and bog-earth, in which a person may be drowned; uligo only as ground thoroughly soaked with water, in which a man may sink down. Lastly, lamæ and lustra denote standing waters of small extent; lama, a mere dirty and filthy puddle on a high road; lustra, an ill-smelling and noisome quagmire in woods, etc. (v. 30.)

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativelacūnalacūnae
genitivelacūnaelacūnārum
dativelacūnaelacūnīs
accusativelacūnamlacūnās
ablativelacūnālacūnīs
vocativelacūnalacūnae

lăcūna (collateral form lŭcūna; cf. Lachm. ad Lucr. vol. 2, p. 205; lăcūnā-tūra, App. Flor. 15, p. 351, 2 Hildebrand;
I. v. infra), ae, f. lacus, a ditch, pit, hole; esp. a place where water collects, a pool, pond.
I. Lit. (mostly poet.): lacuna, id est aquae collectio, a lacu derivatur, quam alii lamam, alii lustrum dicunt, Paul. ex Fest. p. 117 Müll.: vastae, Lucr. 6, 552: vastae Orci, id. 1, 116; 6, 538: cavae, Verg. G. 1, 117; 3, 365.—Poet.: salsae, i. e. the sea, Lucr. 5, 794; 3, 1044; also, Neptuniae, Auct. Her. 4, 10, 15: caecas lustravit luce lacunas, Cic. Arat. 431.—
B. In gen., a hollow, cavity, opening, chasm, cleft: cum supercilia cana, et sub ea lacunae, dicunt, eum equum habere annos sedecim, Varr. R. R. 2, 7, 3; 1, 29, 3; cf.: atque lacunarum fuerant vestigia cuique, Lucr. 5, 1261; Vitr. 7, 1, 4: labrum superius sub ipsa medietate narium lacuna quadam levi, quasi valle, signavit deus, Lact. Op. D. 10: genae teretes ac medio mento lacuna, a dimple, App. Flor. p. 351 (Hildebr., lacunatura).—
II. Trop., a gap, void, defect, want, loss (rare but class.): est, qui expleas duplicem istam lacunam, to fill up the double void, Varr. R. R. 2, 1, 28: ut illam lacunam rei familiaris expleant, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 55, § 138: lacuna in auro, id. Att. 12, 6, 1: illa labes et quasi lacuna famae, Gell. 1, 3, 23.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*lókus
  2. Proto-Italic*lakus
  3. Latinlacūna

Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Italic *-nos Latin -nus Latin *lacūnusnom. Latin lacūna Nominalization of *lacūnus (“of or relating to lakes”), from lacus (“lake, pond; basin, tank, cistern”) + -nus (adjectival suffix). Compare opportūnus and importūnus, from portus. For its substantivation, probably from ellipsis of lacūna aqua (“cistern water”); compare urīna with similar development.

Elsewhere
  • Catalanllacuna
  • Englishlacuna
  • Frenchlacune
  • Englishlacunefrom French lacune
  • Romanianlacunăfrom French lacune
  • Italianlaguna
  • Italianlacuna
  • Occitanlòna
  • Occitanlagua
  • Occitanlaguna
Old Galician-Portuguese
  • Portugueselagoa
  • Galicianlagoa

Quick answers

What does lacūna mean in Latin?
lacūna, a noun, means “a hole, pit, ditch; (especially) a pool, pond; a gap, void, defect, want, loss”.
What is the genitive of lacūna?
The genitive singular is lacūnae. lacūna is feminine, first declension.
How do you pronounce lacūna?
In classical Latin, [ɫaˈkuː.na]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [laˈkuː.na].
Where does lacūna come from?
Proto-Indo-European *lókus → Proto-Italic *lakus → Latin lacūna.