noun · neuterthird declension
lūmen
lūmen n (genitive lūminis)
Classical[ˈɫuː.mɛn]Ecclesiastical[ˈluː.men]
№ 375 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary
Meaning
- light, source of light
- poeticthe eyes
[...] nec dulcī dēclīnat lūmina somnō.
[Rumor] never closes her eyes in sweet slumber.29 BCE – 19 BCE, Vergilius, Aeneis 4.185 - poeticdaylight
29 BCE – 19 BCE, Vergilius, Aeneis 6.356
- poeticbrightness
- poeticthe light of life
8 CE – 12 CE, Ovidius, Tristia 4.4.45
- An opening through which light can penetrate such as an air-hole or a window.
- The opening or orifice in a water-pipe or funnel
- figurativelya luminary, star, light (a most distinguished person)
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
lūx; quod lūcet: lucerna lūmen dat; etiam oculus ``lūmen'' vocātur.lūmen -inis n — in Mille Verba, Colōrēs
lūx; id quod clārum facitlūmen -inis (n) — in IVLIANVS I: Gallia, ch. 4
lūx, splendorlūmen -inis (n) — in Evangelium secundum Matthaeum, ch. 22
lūx; etiam oculus (poētae)lūmen -inis (n) — in Metamorphoses I, †
Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms
Lumen · Lux
Lumen (λευσσόμενον) is a luminous body, like φέγγος; lux (λευκή) a streaming mass of light, like φάος. Cic. Fin. iii. 14, 45. Ut obscuratur et offunditur luce solis lumen lucernæ. Curt. viii. 2, 21. Sed aditus specus accipit lucem; interiora nisi allato lumine obscura sunt. Cic. Acad. iv. 8, 28. Si ista vera sunt, ratio omnis tollitur quasi quædam lux lumenque vitæ; that is, reason alone is in itself bright and light, and at the same time spreads brightness and light over life. Also, in a figurative sense, lumen denotes distinction, lux only clearness. Cicero (Man. 5.) calls Corinth, Græciæ totius lumen, but Rome (Catil. iv. 6.) Lucem orbis terrarum; Corinth is compared to a glimmering point of light; Rome is distinguished as that city in comparison with which all other cities lie in darkness. (ii. 66.)
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | lūmen | lūmina |
| genitive | lūminis | lūminum |
| dative | lūminī | lūminibus |
| accusative | lūmen | lūmina |
| ablative | lūmine | lūminibus |
| vocative | lūmen | lūmina |
Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book
- oculos, lumina amittere
- to lose one's sight.
- luminibus orbare aliquem
- to deprive a person of his eyes.
- clarissima litterarum lumina
- shining lights in the literary world.
- luminibus alicuius obstruere, officere
- to obstruct a person's view, shut out his light by building.
- lumina, flores dicendi (De Or. 3. 25. 96)
- flowers of rhetoric; embellishments of style.
- mentis quasi luminibus officere (vid. sect. XIII. 6) or animo caliginem offundere
- to obscure the mental vision.
lūmen, ĭnis, n. contr. from lucmen, from the root luc; v. luceo,
I. light.
I. Lit.: quasi lumen de suo lumine accendat, Enn. ap. Cic. Off. 1, 16, 51 (Fragm. v. 388 Vahl.):
solis, Cic. Div. 2, 42, 91: tabulas bene pictas conlocare in bono lumine, id. Brut. 75, 261: solare, Ov. Tr. 5, 9, 37: lumina solis, the sunbeams, Lucr. 2, 162.—B. Transf.
1. A light, a source of light, a lamp, torch:
lumine apposito, Cic. Div. 1, 36, 79: diurnum, the morning-star, Lucr. 4, 455; Liv. 29, 25: lumini oleum instillare, Cic. de Sen. 11, 36: luminibus accensis, Plin. 11, 19, 21, § 65: multa lumina nocte tuli, Tib. 1, 10 (9), 42.— 2. Brightness, splendor, gleam (poet.):
ferri, Stat. Th. 9, 802; Claud. Cons. Prob. et Olybr. 94.—3. A bright color (poet.): flaventia lumina calthae, Col. poët. 10, 97; 9, 4.—
4. Daylight, day (poet.): si te secundo lumine hic offendero, Moriere, Enn. ap. Cic. Rab. Post. 11, 29 (Trag. v. 302 Vahl.):
lumine quarto, Verg. A. 6, 356; cf.: eos hostes, urbes agrosque eorum ... lumine supero privetis, Vet. Form. ap. Macr. S. 3, 9, 11. —5. The light of life, life (poet.):
lumen linque, Plaut. Cist. 3, 12: lumine adempto, Lucr. 3, 1033; Ov. Tr. 4, 4, 45.—6. The light of the eye, the eye (mostly poet.):
luminibus amissis, Cic. Tusc. 5, 39, 114: astantes lumine torvo Aetnaeos fratres, Verg. A. 3, 677: fossis lumen abire genis, Ov P. 2, 8, 66: acuentes lumina rutae, id. R. Am. 801: lumina defixa tenere in gremio, id. H 21, 113: lumina flectere, id. M. 5, 232: parcite luminibus, close or turn away the eyes, Tib. 1, 2, 33: lumina sera dextra componere, to close one's eyes, Val. Fl. 3, 279.—Fig.: Romani imperii lumen, Vell. 2, 52, 3: reipublicae lumen et caput, id. 2, 99, 1.—* b. The pupil of the eye, Veg. Vet. 2, 16.—
7. An opening through which light can penetrate, a light, Val. Fl. 1, 168; Vitr. 4, 6.—An airhole, air-shaft, Plin. 31, 6, 31, § 57.—A window:
stabula non egeant septentrionis luminibus, Pall. 1, 21: obserare lumina, App. M. 2, p 125: altius aedes non tollendi, ne luminibus vicini officiatur, Gai Inst. 2, 31: immittere lumina, to put in windows, Dig. 7, 1, 13.—8. In plur., the light in a building:
ne quid altius exstruendo, aut arborem ponendo, lumina cujusquam obscuriora fiant, Dig. 8, 2, 14: cum M. Buculeius aedes L. Fufio venderet, in mancipio lumina, uti tum essent, ita recepit, Cic. de Or. 1, 39, 179.—Hence, se luminibus ejus esse obstructurum, to obstruct the light by building, Cic. pro Dom. 44, 115.—9. The opening or orifice in a water-pipe or funnel, Front. Aquaed. 27; 29; 36; 105.—
10. The light in pictures, in opp. to the shade:
invenit lumen atque umbras, Plin. 35, 5, 11, § 29; 35, 11, 40, § 131; Plin. Ep. 3, 13.—II. Trop.
A. A light, i. e. a most distinguished person or thing, an ornament, glory, luminary:
clarissimis viris interfectis lumina civitatis exstincta sunt, Cic. Cat. 3, 10, 24: certis dicendi luminibus ornare orationem, id. de Or. 2, 27, 119: animi, ingenii consiliique tui, id. Rep. 6, 12, 12: probitatis et virtutis, id. Lael. 8, 27: est corporis macula, naevus; illi tamen hoc lumen videbatur, i. e. a beautyspot, id. N. D. 1, 28, 79: luminibus alicujus obstruere or officere, to obscure one's glory or reputation, id. Brut. 17, 66.—B. Light, clearness, perspicuity:
ordo est maxime, qui memoriae lumen affert, Cic. de Or. 2, 86, 353: oratio adhibere lumen rebus debet, id. ib. 3, 13, 50: nunc parvulos nobis dedit (natura) igniculos, quos celeriter ... sic restinguimus, ut nusquam naturae lumen adpareat, id. Tusc. 3, 1, 2: nec mentis quasi luminibus officit altitudo fortunae, id. Rab. Post. 16, 43.—C. Merit, excellence, beauty of style:
Origines (Catonis) quod lumen eloquentiae non habent? Cic. Brut. 17, 66; so in the pun: Catonis luminibus obstruere, id. ib.; cf. I. B. 7. 8. supra.—D. Ornaments of style:
at sunt qui haec excitatoria lumina a componendis orationibus excludenda arbitrentur, Quint. 12, 10, 49; 8, 5, 29: orationis, id. 8, 5, 34: lumina sententiarum, id. 9, 2, 202.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
lūmen inis, n
LVC-, light : Quasi lumen de suo lumine accendat: solis: Leu<*>othoën ad lumina cerni, by lamp-light , O.—Plur., of a building, the outlook, prospect : cum aedīs venderet, in mancipio lumina ita recepit: se luminibus eius esse obstructurum, obstruct the light by building.—A light, source of light, lamp, torch : lumine adposito: insigne nocturnum trium luminum, L.: sub lumina prima, at early candle-light , H.— Daylight, day : Si te secundo lumine hic offendero, Moriere, Enn. ap. C.: lumine quarto, V.— The light of life, life : quem cassum lumine lugent, V.: quod in tot lumina lumen habebas, which served so many eyes (of Argus), O.— The light of the eye, eye, look, glance : luminibus amissis: torvum, V.: placidum, H.: timidum, O.: Luminibus tacitis, V.: Ad caelum tendens lumina, V.: mentis quasi lumina.— Fig., a light, distinguished person, ornament, glory, luminary, beauty : maiorum gloria posteris quasi lumen est, S.: praestantissimi viri, lumina rei p.: lumen exercitūs, Cimber: Lumina tot cecidisse ducum, V.: dicendi lumina: Catonis luminibus obstruxit haec oratio, obscured the reputation. —Light, clearness, perspicuity : ordo memoriae lumen adfe<*>: nisi litterarum lumen accederet, celebrity .
Origins
- Proto-Indo-European*lewk-
- Proto-Indo-European*léwksmn̥
- Proto-Italic*louksmən
- Latinlūmen
From Proto-Italic *louksmən, from Proto-Indo-European *léwk-s-mn̥, derived from the root *lewk- (“bright”). By surface analysis, lū(x) + -men.
Elsewhere
- Catalanllum
- Italianlume
- Occitanlum
- Portugueselumefrom Old Galician-Portuguese lume
- Spanishlumbrefrom Old Spanish lumbre
- Romanianlume
- Romanianlumină
- Catalanlumen
- Englishlumen
- Frenchlumen
Old Leonese
- Asturianllume
- Leonesellume
Old Navarro-Aragonese
- Aragonesellumbre
- Aragoneselumbre
In English words that came into English from lūmen
- illuminateillūminātus
- luminouslūminōsus
- lumenlūmen
- luminescentlūmen
- luminescencelūmen
- luminarylūminārium
- phillumenistlūmen
- luminiferouslūmen
- phillumenylūmen
- illumineillūmināre
- limnillūminō
- luminometerlūminō
- lumiclūmen
- lumialūmen
- lumirubinlūmen
- lumineillūminō
- luminateluminātus
- lumination*luminatio