LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinethird declension

lepus

lepus m (genitive leporis)
Classical[ˈɫɛ.pʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈlɛː.pus]

Meaning

  1. masculinea hare
    Sextus videt leporem.Sextus sees the hare.
    et lepus inpavidus mediīs errāvit in arvīsand hares wandered, unafraid, among the fields8 CE, Ovidius, Metamorphoses 15.100
  2. masculinea poisonous sea fish colored like the hare
    Nōn sunt minus mīra quae dē lepore marīnō trāduntur.No less wonderful, too, are the particulars which we find stated relative to the sea-hare.23 CE – 79 CE, Plinius Maior, Nātūrālis Historia 32.3
  3. masculinethe constellation Lepus
    Leporis autem hanc historiam memoriae prōdidērunt.The following story of the Hare has been recorded.Hyginus, Dē Astronomiā

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativelepusleporēs
genitiveleporisleporum
dativeleporīleporibus
accusativeleporemleporēs
ablativeleporeleporibus
vocativelepusleporēs

lĕpus, ŏris, m. (com., Varr. R. R. 3, 12; Plin. 8, 55, 81, § 217;
I. v. infra) [cf. Aeol. and Sicil. λέπορις, collat. form of λαγώς, Varr. L. L. 5, § 101 Müll.; id. R. R. 3, 12; but Curt. compares lepor, lepidus, root in Gr. λάμπω], a hare, Varr. R. R. 3, 12; Plin. 8, 55, 81, § 217: lepus multum somni affert, qui illum edit, Cato ap. Diomed. p. 358 P.; Plaut. Pers. 3, 3, 31: auritosque sequi lepores, Verg. G. 1, 308: pavidus, Hor. Epod. 2, 35; id. C. 1, 37, 18: dare semesum leporem, Juv. 5, 167.—Of the she-hare: lepus cum praegnans sit, Varr. R. R. 3, 12; Plin. 8, 55, 81, § 219; cf.: fecundae leporis, Hor. S. 2, 4, 44 (fecundi, Keller).—Prov.: aliis leporem exagitare, to hunt the hare for others, i. e. to do something of which others reap the advantage, Petr. 131; cf. Ov. A. A. 3, 661: lepus tute es et pulpamentum quaeris? What! you a hare, and hunting for game? —In mal. part., Liv. Andron. ap. Ter. Eun. 3, 1, 36; cf. Don. ad h. l. and Vop. Num. 13. —As a term of endearment: mens pullus passer, mea columba, mi lepus, Plaut. Cas. 1, 50.—
II. Transf.
A. A poisonous seafish, of the color of a hare, the Aplysia depilans, Linn.; Plin. 9, 48, 72, § 155; 32, 1, 3, § 8.—
B. The constellation Lepus, Cic. Arat. 365; id. N. D. 2, 44, 114; Hyg. Astr. 3, 22; Manil. 5, 159.

Origins

Unknown. Perhaps not an Indo-European word. It may be of Iberian origin, or else of Celtiberian substrate origin and related to Massaliot λεβηρίς (lebērís, “European rabbit”).

Gallo-Romance
  • Catalanllebre
  • Occitanlèbre
  • Franco-Provençalliévra
  • Old Frenchlievre
Ibero-Romance
  • Portugueselebrefrom Old Galician-Portuguese lebre
  • Spanishliebrefrom Old Spanish liebre
  • Aragonesellebre
  • Aragoneseliebre
  • Aragoneseliepre
  • Aragoneseliapre
  • Galicianlebrefrom Old Galician-Portuguese lebre
  • Asturianllebrefrom Old Leonese lliebre
  • Mirandeselhiebrefrom Old Leonese lliebre
  • Ladinoliebrefrom Old Spanish liebre
Insular Romance
  • Sardinianleppore
  • Gallureselepparu
  • Sassareselepparu
Balkano-Romance
  • Romanianiepure
  • Aromanianljepuri
  • Albanianlepur
Italo-Dalmatian
  • Italianlepre
  • Corsicanlepra
  • Corsicanlevra
  • Dalmatianlipro
  • Istriotlèprio
  • Istriotlèvaro
  • Istriotlèvero
  • Istriotlèvro
  • Neapolitanlèbbre
  • Neapolitanlèparu
Rhaeto-Romance
  • Friulianjeur
  • Ladinliever
  • Romanshlieur
Gallo-Italic
  • Emilianlîvra
  • Ligurianlevre
  • Lombardlegor
  • Lombardlégur
  • Piedmonteselevr
  • Romagnollìvri
Borrowings
  • Idoleporofrom Esperanto leporo
  • Interlingualepore
  • TranslingualLepus

Quick answers

What does lepus mean in Latin?
lepus, a noun, means “a hare; a poisonous sea fish colored like the hare; the constellation Lepus”.
What is the genitive of lepus?
The genitive singular is leporis. lepus is masculine, third declension.
How do you pronounce lepus?
In classical Latin, [ˈɫɛ.pʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈlɛː.pus].