LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinesecond declension

lūcus

lūcus m (genitive lūcī)
Classical[ˈɫuː.kʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈluː.kus]
Mille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. a grove sacred to a deity
  2. poetica wood
    aut quos Oceano propior gerit India lucosOr, nearer the Ocean, of the jungles which India rearsc. 37 BCE – 30 BCE, Vergilius, Georgicon 2.122

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

silva parva et sacra; in lūcō nūmen habitat.
lūcus -ī m — in Mille Verba, Deī et Sacra

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Silva · Saltus · Nemus · Lucus

Silva (ὕλη) denotes a wood, in a general sense, merely with reference to the timber, like ὕλη; whereas saltus (ἄλσος) as a wild place, or wood in the midst of mountains, like νάπη; nemus (νέμος) as a pleasant place, as a grove; lucus (λόχμη) as a sacred place, as a grove consecrated to the gods, like ἄλσος, ἆλτις. (ii. 93.)

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativelūcuslūcī
genitivelūcīlūcōrum
dativelūcōlūcīs
accusativelūcumlūcōs
ablativelūcōlūcīs
vocativelūcelūcī
locativelūcīlūcīs

lūcus, i, m. luceo, the shining, i. e. open place in the wood,
I. a wood, grove, or thicket of trees sacred to a deity.
I. Lit.: Silani lucus extra murumst est avius crebro salicto oppletus, Plaut. Aul. 4, 6, 8: lucus est arborum multitudo cum religione, nemus vero composita multitudo arborum, silva diffusa et inculta, Serv. Verg. A. 1, 310; cf. id. ib. 1, 441; 11, 316: vos jam, Albani tumuli atque luci, imploro, Cic. Mil. 31, 85: lucus frequenti silvā septus, Liv. 24, 3: nemora in domibus sacros imitantia lucos, Tib. 3, 3, 15: virtutem verba putas et Lucum ligna, Hor. Ep. 1, 6, 31: Ennium sicut sacros vetustate lucos adoremus, Quint. 10, 1, 88: nemoris sacri lucos tenere, Sen. Herc. Oet. 956.—
II. Transf.
A. In gen., a wood (poet.): aut quos Oceano propior gerit India lucos, Verg. G. 2, 122: alto in luco, id. A. 11, 456.—
B. Wood: nec quicquam positum sine luco, auro, ebore, argento, Plaut. Fragm. ap. Charis. p. 179 P.
Lūcus, i, m. 1. lucus, the name of several cities in Gaul and Spain, of which the most important was
I. Lucus, a city of the Vocontii, also called Lucus Augusti, now Lucim, Tac. H. 1, 66; Plin. 3, 4, 5, § 37.
lūcus, ūs, m., i. q. lux,
I. light: cum primo lucu, at daybreak, Ter. Ad. 5, 3, 56 (dub.; Fleck. and Ussing, luci): noctu lucuque, Varr. L. L. 5, 19, § 99 Müll. (ex conj.; al. noctulucus).

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*lewk-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*lowkós
  3. Proto-Italic*loukos
  4. Old Latinloucos
  5. Latinlūcus

Inherited from Old Latin loucos, from Proto-Italic *loukos, from Proto-Indo-European *lowkós, from *lewk- + *-ós. Cognates include Proto-Germanic *lauhaz (“clearing”), Sanskrit लोक (loka, “free space, world”).

Descendants
  • CatalanLluc
  • Italianluco
  • Italian-luco
  • ItalianLugo
  • PortugueseLugofrom Old Galician-Portuguese Lugo
  • Sardinianluo
  • Spanishluco
  • Corsicanlucu
  • Gasconluc
  • Gasconluga

Quick answers

What does lūcus mean in Latin?
lūcus, a noun, means “a grove sacred to a deity; a wood”.
What is the genitive of lūcus?
The genitive singular is lūcī. lūcus is masculine, second declension.
How do you pronounce lūcus?
In classical Latin, [ˈɫuː.kʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈluː.kus].
Where does lūcus come from?
Proto-Indo-European *lewk- → Proto-Indo-European *lowkós → Proto-Italic *loukos → Old Latin loucos → Latin lūcus.