LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective

mulleus

mulleus (feminine mullea, neuter mulleum)
Classical[ˈmʊl.le.ʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈmul.le.us]

Meaning

  1. adjectiveof a red color (said of shoes)
    calcei mulleired calceuses

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativemulleusmulleamulleum
genitivemulleīmulleaemulleī
dativemulleōmulleaemulleō
accusativemulleummulleammulleum
ablativemulleōmulleāmulleō
vocativemulleemulleamulleum
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativemulleīmulleaemullea
genitivemulleōrummulleārummulleōrum
dativemulleīsmulleīsmulleīs
accusativemulleōsmulleāsmullea
ablativemulleīsmulleīsmulleīs
vocativemulleīmulleaemullea

mullĕus calcĕus, or,
I. absol., mul-lĕus, i, m. mullus, a reddish or purplecolored shoe, worn only by the three highest magistrates (the consul, prætor, and curule Ædile): mulleos genus calceorum aiunt esse; quibus reges Albanorum primi, deinde patricii sunt usi, quos putant a mullando dictos, i. e. suendo, Paul. ex Fest. p. 142 Müll.; Vop. Aurel. 49: nomen his (mullis) Fenestella a colore mulleorum calciamentorum datum putat, Plin. 9, 17, 30, § 65.

Origins

Uncertain; proposed derivations include: * From mullus (“mullet”), but considered folk etymology * From Proto-Indo-European *ml̥n-eyo-s, from *melh₂-. Cognates include Ancient Greek μέλας (mélas, “black”), Sanskrit मल॑ (mála, “dirt, filth, dust”), Latvian męl̃ns, and Old Prussian melne. Driessen rejects the connection with adj. in **-no- meaning 'black' since Proto-Italic **melnos ~ **mlnos would not yield Lat. mullus but **melnus ~ **blanus, cf. blandus (“soft”). * From Proto-Italic *molwos, from Proto-Indo-European *ml̥-wo-s, whence also Latvian mul̃vas (“reddish, yellowish”).

Descendants
  • Frenchmule
  • Englishmulefrom French mule
  • Italianmula
  • Italianmulleo
  • Portuguesemúleo
  • Venetanmula

In English words that came into English from mulleus

  • mulemula

Quick answers

What does mulleus mean in Latin?
mulleus, a adjective, means “of a red color (said of shoes)”.
How do you pronounce mulleus?
In classical Latin, [ˈmʊl.le.ʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈmul.le.us].