LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininefirst declension

lāna

lāna f (genitive lānae)
Classical[ˈɫaː.na]Ecclesiastical[ˈlaː.na]
Mille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. wool
    lānaque prōveniat nūllās laesūra puellās,And may wool be produced that will not harm any girls, soft and suited to hands however delicate.8 CE, Ovidius, Fasti 4.773–774
    deleth quaesīvit lānam et līnum et operāta est cōnsiliō manuum suārumShe hath sought wool and flax, and hath wrought by the counsel of her hands.c. 347 CE – 420 CE, Hieronymus, Vulgate Proverbs.31.13
  2. spinning wool
    Prīmō haec pudīcē vītam parce ac dūriter / agēbat, lānā ac tēlā vīctum quaeritāns.At first, she led a chaste life, frugal and harsh, and earned her living by spinning wool and weaving.166 BCE, Publius Terentius Afer, Andria 74–75

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

capillī ovium mollēs, ex quibus vestēs fīunt.
lāna -ae f — in Mille Verba, ch. Vestis et Ōrnāmenta

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativelānalānae
genitivelānaelānārum
dativelānaelānīs
accusativelānamlānās
ablativelānālānīs
vocativelānalānae

lāna, ae, f. Gr. λάχνη, λάχνος, λῆνος, Dor. λᾶνος; cf. λάοιος, and v. Varr. L. L. 5, § 113 Müll.,
I. wool, Plaut. Men. 1, 2, 12; Varr. R. R. 2, 2, 18; Cic. de Or. 2, 68, 277; Col. 7, 2, 4: lanam cārĕre, to card wool, Plaut. Men. 5, 2, 46; so, lanam trahere, Juv. 2, 54: lanam deducere, id. 7, 224: lanas ducere, to spin wool, Ov. M. 4, 34: lanam expediendam conducere, for carding and spinning, Dig. 7, 8, 12: lanas tingere murice, to dye, Ov. M. 6, 9; cf.: lanam fucare veneno Assyrio, Verg. G. 2, 465: medicata fuco, Hor. C. 3, 5, 28: aurea lana, the golden fleece, Ov. F. 3, 876: lana legata, sive succida sive lota sit, sive pectinata sive versicoloria, legato cedit, Paul. Sent. 3, 6, 82; cf. § 85: si ex lana mea vestimentum feceris, etc., Gai. Inst. 2, 79.—
II. Transf.
A. In gen., a working in wool: lana et tela victum quaeritans, Ter. And. 1, 1, 48: Lucretia lanae dedita, Liv. 1, 57: lanam facere, Ov. M. 6, 31.—Plur.: te lanae ... non citharae decent, Hor. C. 3, 15, 13: admotaque lanis quae cessat acu, Juv. 6, 497.—Prov.: cogitare de lana sua, to be thinking about her work, i. e. to be unconcerned, Ov. A. A. 2, 686.—
B. Of things resembling wool, soft hair or feathers, down: lana leporina et anserina et caprina, Dig. 32, 1, 70; Mart. 14, 161: celantur simili ventura Cydonia lana, id. 10, 42; cf. Plin. 12, 10, 21, § 38.—Of thin, fleecy clouds: tenuia lanae vellera, Verg. G. 1, 397; cf. Plin. 18, 35, 82, § 356.—Prov.: rixari de lana caprina, i. e. to dispute about trifles, Hor. Ep. 1, 18, 15.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂welh₁-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₂wĺ̥h₁neh₂
  3. Proto-Italic*wlāna
  4. Latinlāna

From Proto-Italic *wlānā, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂wĺ̥h₁neh₂ (“wool”). Cognate with Ancient Greek λῆνος (lênos, “wool”), English wool, and Sanskrit ऊर्णा (ūrṇā, “wool”).

Descendants
  • Catalanllana
  • Frenchlaine
  • Italianlana
  • Occitanlana
  • Portugueselãfrom Old Galician-Portuguese lãa
  • Romanianlână
  • Spanishlana
  • Aragoneselana
  • Aromanianlãnã
  • Asturianllana

In English words that came into English from lāna

  • lanugolānūgō
  • lanameterlāna
  • lanuginoselānūginōsus
  • lanoselānōsus
  • laniferouslanifer
  • lanigerouslaniger
  • lanatelānātus
  • lanositylanositas

Quick answers

What does lāna mean in Latin?
lāna, a noun, means “wool; spinning wool”.
What is the genitive of lāna?
The genitive singular is lānae. lāna is feminine, first declension.
How do you pronounce lāna?
In classical Latin, [ˈɫaː.na]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈlaː.na].
Where does lāna come from?
Proto-Indo-European *h₂welh₁- → Proto-Indo-European *h₂wĺ̥h₁neh₂ → Proto-Italic *wlāna → Latin lāna.
Which English words come from lāna?
English words that go back to Latin lāna include lanameter, lanugo, lanose, laniferous, lanigerous and lanate.