LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininefirst declension

lō̆custa

lō̆custa f (genitive lō̆custae)
Classical[ɫoːˈkʊs.ta]Ecclesiastical[loˈkus.ta]

Meaning

  1. a grasshopper or locust
    2015, Tuomo Pekkanen, Ingentes greges locustarum in Russia meridionali. https://areena.yle.fi/1-2864830, Nuntii Latini 7.8.2015A giant swarm of locusts has invaded the Stavropolsky district in southern Russia.
  2. a crustacean, (prob) a kind of lobster
    lō̆custa marīna/marisa crustacean

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativelō̆custa
lacusta		lō̆custae
lacustae, lū̆custae
genitivelō̆custae
lacustae, lū̆custae		lō̆custārum
lacustārum, lū̆custārum
dativelō̆custae
lacustae, lū̆custae		lō̆custīs
lacustīs, lū̆custīs
accusativelō̆custam
lacustam, lū̆custam		lō̆custās
lacustās, lū̆custās
ablativelō̆custā
lacustā		lō̆custīs
lacustīs, lū̆custīs
vocativelō̆custa
lacusta		lō̆custae
lacustae, lū̆custae

lō^custa (lŭc-; scanned lŏcusta, Juvenc. in Matt. 3, 1, 339), ae, f.,
I. a marine shell-fish, a lobster, Plin. 9, 30, 50, § 95: locustis squillisque magna ex parte sub eodem munimento praeduri eminent oculi, id. 11, 37, 55, § 152: marina, Petr. 35, 4.—Hence, dic mihi hoc etiam: solent tibi umquam oculi duri fieri? Men. Quid? tu me locustam censes esse, Plaut. Men. 5, 5, 24.— Prov.: prius pariet locusta Lucam bovem, said of something that can never take place, of something impossible, Naev. ap. Varr. L. L. 7, § 39 Müll.—
II. A locust, Plin. 8, 29, 43, § 104: esca ejus erat locustae, Vulg. Matt. 3, 4.
Locusta (Lūcusta), ae, f.,
I. a woman famous for her skill in poisons, in the time of Nero and Claudius, Tac. A. 12, 66; 13, 15; Suet. Ner. 33; Juv. 1, 71.
Lōcusta, ae, m.,
I. name of a man, Cic. Q. Fr. 3, 1, 2, § 4.

Origins

The origin is uncertain, length of the first vowel varies. According to De Vaan, the only word similar in form and meaning is lacerta (“lizard; mackerel”) and “they could be cognate words in the language from which Latin borrowed these forms”. Pokorny connects lō̆custa and lacerta with Ancient Greek λάξ (láx) λάγδην (lágdēn, “with the foot”, adverb), λάκτις (láktis, “pestle”), λικερτίζειν (likertízein, “to jump, to dance”) and Old Norse leggr (“lower leg, bone”), Lombardic lagi (“thigh”), deriving all from Proto-Indo-European *lek- (“joint, member; to bend, to wind”), explaining lō̆custa as “equipped with joints”. This is considered unconvincing by De Vaan.

Descendants
  • Italianlocusta
  • Frenchlocustefrom Old French locuste
  • Englishlocustfrom Old French locuste
  • Portugueselocusta
  • Romanianlocustă
  • Englishlobsterfrom Old English loppestre
  • Late Latinlacusta
  • Scotslapsterfrom Old English loppestre
  • Scotslabsterfrom Old English loppestre
  • Yolalabstaarfrom Old English loppestre

Quick answers

What does lō̆custa mean in Latin?
lō̆custa, a noun, means “a grasshopper or locust; a crustacean, (prob) a kind of lobster”.
What is the genitive of lō̆custa?
The genitive singular is lō̆custae. lō̆custa is feminine, first declension.
How do you pronounce lō̆custa?
In classical Latin, [ɫoːˈkʊs.ta]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [loˈkus.ta].