LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective

luteus1

luteus (feminine lutea, neuter luteum)
Classical[ˈɫʊ.te.ʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈluː.te.us]
luteum sg. nom. n.; sg. acc. m.; sg. acc. n.; sg. voc. n.

Meaning

  1. adjectiveof mud; of clay
  2. adjectivedirty
  3. adjectivecorrupt

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Luteus · Gilvus · Helvus · Flavus · Luridus

Luteus (from λωτός) denotes a decided yellow, as the yolk of an egg; gilvus, (ἀγλαός) and helvus, a fainter reddish yellow, like that of honey; flavus and luridus, a lighter whitish yellow; flavus (from φλεύω) a glossy beautiful yellow, like that of light auburn hair; luridus (from χλωρός) a wan unpleasant yellowishness, like that of pale death.

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativeluteus
lūteolus		lutea
lūteola		luteum
lūteolum
genitiveluteī
lūteolī		luteae
lūteolae		luteī
lūteolī
dativeluteō
lūteolō		luteae
lūteolae		luteō
lūteolō
accusativeluteum
lūteolum		luteam
lūteolam		luteum
lūteolum
ablativeluteō
lūteolō		luteā
lūteolā		luteō
lūteolō
vocativelutee
lūteole		lutea
lūteola		luteum
lūteolum
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativeluteī
lūteolī		luteae
lūteolae		lutea
lūteola
genitiveluteōrum
lūteolōrum		luteārum
lūteolārum		luteōrum
lūteolōrum
dativeluteīs
lūteolīs		luteīs
lūteolīs		luteīs
lūteolīs
accusativeluteōs
lūteolōs		luteās
lūteolās		lutea
lūteola
ablativeluteīs
lūteolīs		luteīs
lūteolīs		luteīs
lūteolīs
vocativeluteī
lūteolī		luteae
lūteolae		lutea
lūteola

lŭtĕus, a, um, adj. 2. lutum,
I. of mud or clay.
I. Lit.: defingit Rheni luteum caput, Hor. S. 1, 10, 37: opus, of a swallow's nest, Ov. F. 1, 157: aedificium, Plin. 7, 56, 57. § 194: toreuma, Mart. 4, 46, 16: homo, i. e. Adam, Prud. Cath. 3, 41.—
B. Transf.
1. Bemired, muddy: gallina si sit luteis pedibus, Plin. 30, 11, 28, § 93.—
2. Besmeared, bedaubed: luteum ceromate corpus, Mart. 11, 47, 5: Vulcanus, Juv. 10, 132.—
II. Trop., dirty, vile, worthless: blitea et lutea meretrix, Plaut. Truc. 4, 4, 1: homo, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 14, § 35: negotium, a sorry commodity, poor affair, id. ib. 2, 4, 14, § 32.

Origins

From lutum (“mud, dirt, clay”).

Descendants
  • Portugueselouça
  • Spanishloza
  • Galicianlouza
  • Albanianllucë

In English words that came into English from luteus

  • luteinluteus
  • luteolousluteolus
adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective
lūteus2
lūteus (feminine lūtea, neuter lūteum)
Classical[ˈɫuː.te.ʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈluː.te.us]
lūteum sg. nom. n.; sg. acc. m.; sg. acc. n.; sg. voc. n.

Meaning

  1. adjectiveyellow, lemon yellow, bright yellow, pallid yellow (as if dyed with weld)
  2. adjectivesaffron-colored

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativelūteus
lūteolus		lūtea
lūteola		lūteum
lūteolum
genitivelūteī
lūteolī		lūteae
lūteolae		lūteī
lūteolī
dativelūteō
lūteolō		lūteae
lūteolae		lūteō
lūteolō
accusativelūteum
lūteolum		lūteam
lūteolam		lūteum
lūteolum
ablativelūteō
lūteolō		lūteā
lūteolā		lūteō
lūteolō
vocativelūtee
lūteole		lūtea
lūteola		lūteum
lūteolum
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativelūteī
lūteolī		lūteae
lūteolae		lūtea
lūteola
genitivelūteōrum
lūteolōrum		lūteārum
lūteolārum		lūteōrum
lūteolōrum
dativelūteīs
lūteolīs		lūteīs
lūteolīs		lūteīs
lūteolīs
accusativelūteōs
lūteolōs		lūteās
lūteolās		lūtea
lūteola
ablativelūteīs
lūteolīs		lūteīs
lūteolīs		lūteīs
lūteolīs
vocativelūteī
lūteolī		lūteae
lūteolae		lūtea
lūteola

lūtĕus, a, um, adj. 1. lutum, prop.
I. of or belonging to the yellow-weed; hence, in gen., of the color of lutum.
A. Golden-yellow, saffron-yellow, orange-yellow. chrysocolla, Plin. 33, 5, 27, § 91; Varr. ap Non. 549, 22: pallor, Hor. Epod. 10, 16: pal la, Tib. 1, 7, 46.—Subst.: lūtĕum, i, n, yellow: color in luteum inclinatus, towards yellow, Plin. 24, 15, 86, § 136: color in luteum languescens, id. 27, 13, 109, § 133.— Esp., the yolk of an egg: lutea ex ovis quinque columbarum, Plin. 30, 15, 49, § 141. —
B. Flame-colored, of the veil of a bride (v. flammeus), Luc. 2, 361; cf. Plin. 21, 8, 22, § 46; Cat. 61, 10.—
II. Rose-colored: rosa ... sese pandit in calyces medio sui stantis conplexa luteos apices, Plin. 21, 4, 10, § 14: Aurora in roseis fulgebat lutea bigis ( = crocea; cf. κροκόπεπλος, Hom. Il. 8, 1), Verg. A. 7, 26: me Lutea mane videt pulsis Aurora tenebris, Ov. M. 7, 703; 13, 579: Memnonis in roseis lutea mater equis, id. F. 4, 714; Anthol. Lat. 5, 7, 1.

Origins

From lūtum (“weld, dyers' weed, Reseda luteola”). It was by Roman philosophers etymologized as coming from dīlūtus (“washed out”), which drove their understanding of it as an abstract, red-allied color in the middle of the visible spectrum, as seen on the rainbow.

In English words that came into English from lūteus

  • luteouslūteus
  • luteolousluteolus

Quick answers

What does luteus mean in Latin?
luteus, a adjective, means “of mud; of clay; dirty”.
How do you pronounce luteus?
In classical Latin, [ˈɫʊ.te.ʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈluː.te.us].