LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininefirst declension

medulla

medulla f (genitive medullae)
Classical[mɛˈdʊl.la]Ecclesiastical[meˈdul.la]

Meaning

  1. femininebone marrow
  2. femininefigurativelyas the subjective location of the intense inner physical sensation of a heightened emotion, such as erotic passion
    “Ut multō mihi maior ācriorque“So that a fire far more blazing may burn in my soft marrow.”c. 84 BCE – 54 BCE, Catullus, 45 15-16
    [...] Ēst mollis flamma medullāsThe flames consume her tender marrow all the while, and the silent wound dwells within her heart.29 BCE – 19 BCE, Vergilius, Aeneis 4.66-67

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

pars mollissima intrā ossa
medulla -ae (f) — in Metamorphoses I, ch. 3, 10, 18
pars intima ossis
medulla -ae (f) — in Aeneis, ch. 9

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativemedullamedullae
genitivemedullaemedullārum
dativemedullaemedullīs
accusativemedullammedullās
ablativemedullāmedullīs
vocativemedullamedullae

mĕdulla, ae, f. medius,
I. the marrow of bones; the pith of plants (class.).
I. Lit., Hor. Epod. 5, 37: cumque albis ossa medullis, Ov. M. 14, 208: ossa regum vacuis exsucta medullis, Juv. 8, 90: per media foramina a cerebro medullā descendente, Plin. 11, 37, 67, § 178.—
B. Transf., the pith, inside, kernel: vitis medullā, Col. 3, 18, 5; Plin. 16, 25, 42, § 103: frumenta, quae salsā aquā sparsa moluntur, candidiorem medullam reddunt, i. e. meal, flour, Plin. 18, 9, 20, § 87: medulla ventris, the inside, Plaut. Stich. 2, 2, 17.—
II. Trop., the marrow, kernel, innermost part, best part, quintessence: at ego pereo, cui medullam lassitudo perbibit, Plaut. Stich. 2, 2, 18: cum hic fervor tamquam in venis medullisque insederit, Cic. Tusc. 4, 10, 24; cf.: in medullis populi Romani ac visceribus haerebant, id. Phil. 1, 15, 36: haec mihi semper erunt imis infixa medullis, Ov. Tr. 1, 5, 9: qui mihi haeres in medullis, who are at the bottom of my heart, Cic. Fam. 15, 16, 2: qui mihi sunt inclusa medullis, id. Att. 15, 4, 3: nondum implevere medullas maturae mala nequitiae, Juv. 14, 215: communes loci, qui in mediis litium medullis versantur, Quint. 2, 1, 11: verborum, inner meaning, Gell. 18, 4, 2: divisio compagum ac medullarum, the innermost parts, Vulg. Heb. 4, 12.—Poet.: suadae, the marrow or quintessence of eloquence, said of Cethegus, Enn. ap. Cic. Brut. 15, 58 (Ann. v. 309 Vahl.); cf. Quint. 2, 15, 4.

Origins

Uncertain. Traditionally compared to Latin medius (“middle”), or Proto-Indo-European *mosgʰos (“brain, marrow”). De Vaan mentions neither of these theories, and instead prefers a derivation from Proto-Indo-European *smer-u-lo-, from *smérus (“grease, marrow”), with the irregular change from *-r- > -d- resulting from hypercorrection similar to that of *-d- > -r- in merīdiēs (“midday”).

Borrowings
  • Italianmedulla
  • Catalanmedul·la
  • Englishmedulla
  • Frenchmédulla
  • Portuguesemedula
  • Spanishmédula
  • Galicianmedula
Italo-Romance
  • Italianmidolla
  • Italianmidollo
  • Corsicanmarodda
  • Corsicanmarolla
  • Sicilianmiduḍḍa
  • Sicilianmiruḍḍa
Balkan Romance
  • Romanianmăduvă
  • Aromanianmãduã
Gallo-Romance
  • Frenchmoellefrom Old French mëolle
  • Franco-Provençalmiola
  • Franco-Provençalmuola
Occitano-Romance
  • Catalanmollafrom Old Catalan meolla
  • Gasconmedora
  • Gasconmeula
  • Gasconmeura
  • Gasconmora
  • Gasconmeusa
  • Auvergnatmiola
  • Auvergnatmesola
  • Auvergnatmzola
  • Languedocienmesolha
Ibero-Romance
  • Portuguesemiolafrom Old Galician-Portuguese *meola
  • Aragonesemiolla
  • Aragonesemedolla
  • Asturianmegolla
  • Asturianmigolla
  • Asturianmeolla
  • Asturianmiolla
  • Leonesemegolla
  • Leonesemigolla
  • Leonesemiolla
North Italian
  • Friulianmedole
  • Ligurianmoula
  • Ligurianmiola
  • Ligurianmeola
  • Lombardmiòla
  • Piedmontesemiola
  • Fiumanomedolafrom Venetan mioła

Quick answers

What does medulla mean in Latin?
medulla, a noun, means “bone marrow; as the subjective location of the intense inner physical sensation of a heightened emotion, such as erotic passion”.
What is the genitive of medulla?
The genitive singular is medullae. medulla is feminine, first declension.
How do you pronounce medulla?
In classical Latin, [mɛˈdʊl.la]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [meˈdul.la].