LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinefourth declension

morsus

morsus m (genitive morsūs)
Classical[ˈmɔr.sʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈmɔr.sus]

Meaning

  1. masculinea bite, sting
    voluptăs omnis […] apiumque pār volantum ubi grāta mella fūdit, fugit et nimis tenācīevery pleasure […] , like swarming bees, it pours out delightful honey and then flees, hitting our beaten hearts with a long-lasting sting.524 CE, Boethius, Consolation of Philosophy 3.7m
  2. figurativelymasculinepain, vexation, bite, sting
  3. broadlymasculinesharpness of flavor, sharp taste, pungency
  4. broadlymasculinejaw, tooth, fang, fluke (of an anchor)
    [...] Hīc fessās nōn vincula nāvēsHere [there are] not any cables tying weary ships, nor anchor with barbed fluke holding fast. (An anchor “bites” the sand not unlike a tooth.)29 BCE – 19 BCE, Vergilius, Aeneis 1.168–169

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativemorsusmorsūs
genitivemorsūsmorsuum
dativemorsuī
morsī		morsibus
accusativemorsummorsūs
ablativemorsūmorsibus
vocativemorsusmorsūs

morsus, a, um, Part., from mordeo.
morsus, ūs, m. mordeo,
I. a biting, a bite.
I. Lit.: contra avium minorum morsus munitur vallo aristarum. Cic. Sen. 15, 51: serpentis, id. Fat. 16, 36: morsu apprehendere, to bite, Plin. 11, 24, 28, § 84: morsibus insequi, Ov. M. 13, 568: morsu appetere, Tac. H. 4, 42: nec tu mensarum morsus horresce futuros, the eating, Verg. A. 3, 394: mucida frusta farinae ... non admittentia morsum, Juv. 5, 69: vertere morsus Exiguam in Cererem penuria adegit edendi, their bites, their teeth, id. ib. 7, 112 ; so, zonam morsu tenere, by the teeth, Juv. 14, 297.—
B. Transf.
1. A catching hold; and, concr., that which takes hold, a catch (of a buckle, etc.; poet.): quā fibulā morsus Loricae crebro laxata resolverat ictu, Sil. 7, 624: roboris, i. e. the cleft of the tree which held fast the javelin, Verg. A. 12, 782: patulis agitatos morsibus ignes spirent, Grat. Falisc. 270.—
2. Sharpness of flavor, sharp taste, pungency: nec cibus ipse juvat morsu fraudatus aceti, Mart. 7, 25, 5: marinus, acrid quality, Plin. 36, 26, 65, § 191: et scabros nigrae morsu rubiginis enses, i. e. a corroding, consuming, Luc. 1, 243.—
II. Trop., a bite, sting, pain, vexation, etc.: (carmina) odio obscuro morsuque venenare, a malicious attack, Hor. Ep. 1, 14, 38: perpetui curarum morsus, gnawings, pains, Ov. P. 1, 1, 73: doloris, a bite, sting, Cic. Tusc. 4, 7, 15: libertatis intermissae, id. Off. 2, 7, 24: dubiā morsus famae depellere pugnā, Sil. 2, 271.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*(s)merd-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*(s)mordéyeti
  3. Proto-Italic*mordejō
  4. Proto-Italic*mordeō
  5. Latinmorsus

Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Italic *-tus Latin -sus Latin morsus From mordeō (“to bite”) + -sus (action noun).

Descendants
  • Catalanmos
  • Italianmorso
  • Frenchmorsfrom Middle French mors
  • Englishmorsefrom Middle French mors
  • Spanishmueso

Quick answers

What does morsus mean in Latin?
morsus, a noun, means “a bite, sting; pain, vexation, bite, sting; sharpness of flavor, sharp taste, pungency”.
What is the genitive of morsus?
The genitive singular is morsūs. morsus is masculine, fourth declension.
How do you pronounce morsus?
In classical Latin, [ˈmɔr.sʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈmɔr.sus].
Where does morsus come from?
Proto-Indo-European *(s)merd- → Proto-Indo-European *(s)mordéyeti → Proto-Italic *mordejō → Proto-Italic *mordeō → Latin morsus.