LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · neuterthird declension

mūnus

mūnus n (genitive mūneris)
Classical[ˈmuː.nʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈmuː.nus]
№ 276 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. a service, office, employment
    […]ut lubentius, audiēns sē citārier ad suum mūnus, hūc aditum ferat dux bonae Veneris, bonī coniugātor amōris. […] so that with more pleasure, hearing himself being hurried to his office, towards here might comegoodly love.c. 84 BCE – 54 BCE, Catullus, Carmina 61.41–45
  2. a burden, duty, obligation
  3. a service, favor
  4. a spectacle, public show
  5. in plurala public building made at the expense of an individual
    Tū modo Pompeiā lentus spatiāre sub umbrā, cum sōl Herculeī terga leōnis adit: aut ubi mūneribus nātī sua mūnera māterJust slowly take a walk under the shadow, when the sun goes towards the back of the Herculean lion; or where the mother to her son's buildings her own buildings has added, a work rich by its exterior marble.2 CE, Ovidius, Ars Amatoria 1.67–70
    Hīc ubi mīrāmur vēlōcia mūnera thermās,Here where we wonder at the speedy public building of a bath, a vain tract of land had taken the houses away from the poor.c. 81 CE, Martial, Dē Spectāculīs 2.7–8
  6. a reward or payment
  7. a gift
    in stipulā placidī capiēbat mūnera somnīOn stubble he was enjoying the gifts of peaceful sleep8 CE, Ovidius, Fasti 3.185

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

officium datum; etiam dōnum aut spectāculum pūblicum.
mūnus -eris n — in Mille Verba, Urbs et Aedificia
dōnum quod dēbētur
mūnus -eris (n) — in Epistulae, ch. 22

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Officium · Munus

Officium means an employment, as imposing a moral obligation, undertaken from conscientious feelings; munus, as imposing a political obligation, undertaken merely as a charge or office. Cic. Mur. 35. Hæc sunt officia necessariorum, commoda tenuiorum, munia candidatorum. (v. 352.)

Donum · Munus · Largitio · Donarium · Donativum · Liberalitas

1. Donum (δωτίνη) means a present, as a gratuitous gift, by which the giver wishes to confer pleasure, like δῶρον; whereas munus, as a reward for services, whereby the giver shows his love or favor, like γέρας; lastly, largitio, as a gift from self-interested motives, which under the show of beneficence would win over and bribe, generally for political ends. Suet. Cæs. 28. Aliis captivorum millia dono afferens; that is, not merely as a loan: compare with Ner. 46. Auspicanti Sporus annulum muneri obtulit; that is, as a handsome return. Tac. H. ii. 30. Id comitatem bonitatemque faventes vocabant, quod sine modo (Vitellius) donaret sua largiretur aliena. 2. Donarium denotes particularly a gift to a temple; donativum, a military gift, or earnest-money, which the new emperor at his accession to the throne distributes among the soldiers; liberalitas, a gift which the emperor bestowed, generally on a poor nobleman, for his support. (iv. 142.)

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativemūnus
mūnusculum		mūnera
mūnuscula
genitivemūneris
mūnusculī		mūnerum
mūnusculōrum
dativemūnerī
mūnusculō		mūneribus
mūnusculīs
accusativemūnus
mūnusculum		mūnera
mūnuscula
ablativemūnere
mūnusculō		mūneribus
mūnusculīs
vocativemūnus
mūnusculum		mūnera
mūnuscula

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

munus explere, sustinere
to fulfil the duties of one's position.
munus administrare, gerere
to perform official duties.
munere fungi, muneri praeesse
to perform official duties.
rei publicae muneribus orbatus
banished from public life.
abrogare alicui munus (Verr. 2. 57)
to remove a person from his office.
muneri aliquem praeficere, praeponere
to appoint some one to an office.
virtutis perfectae perfecto munere fungi (Tusc. 1. 45. 109)
to live a perfect life.
munus gladiatorium edere, dare (or simply munus edere, dare)
to give a gladiatorial show.
1 more phrases
honoribus ac reipublicae muneribus perfunctus (De Or. 1. 45)
a man who has held many offices.

mūnus (old orthogr. moenus;
I. moenera militiaï, Lucr. 1, 29), ĕris, n. root mu-; cf.: moenia, munis, munia, etc., a service, office, post, employment, function, duty (class.; syn.: officium, ministerium, honos).
I. Lit.: munus significat officium, cum dicitur quis munere fungi. Item donum quod officii causā datur, Paul. ex Fest. p. 140 Müll. (cf. infra): munus curare, to discharge an office, Plaut. Truc. 2, 4, 76: octo munus hominum fungi, id. Men. 1, 4, 5: administrare, Ter. Ad. 5, 1, 2: munus atque officium, Cic. Font. 7, 15: rei publicae, a public office, id. de Or. 1, 45, 199: belli, Liv. 24, 35: de jure respondendi sustinere, Cic. Brut. 30, 113: rei publicae explere, id. Prov. Cons. 14, 35: vigiliarum obire, to perform, Liv. 3, 6: officii, the performance of a duty, Cic. Sen. 11, 35: tuum est hoc munus, tuae partes: a te hoc civitas exspectat, duty, office, obligation, id. Fam. 11, 5, 3: principum est resistere levitati multitudinis, id. Mil. 8, 22: vitae, id. Sen. 11, 35: senectutis, id. Leg. 1, 3, 10.—
B. Esp., = onus, a duty, burden, tribute: cum hoc munus imponebatur tam grave civitati, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 20, § 51: id quoque munus leve atque commune Mamertinis remisisti, id. ib. 2, 5, 21, § 52: dum ne quis eorum munere vacaret, Liv. 25, 7, 4: non enim detractionem eam munerum militiae, sed apertam defectionem esse, id. 27, 9, 9.—
II. Transf.
A. A work: majorum vigiliarum munus, Cic. Par. prooem.: solitudinis, a work, book, written in solitude, id. Off. 3, 1, 4.—
B. A service, favor: huc ire licet atque illuc munere ditium dominorum, Sall. Orat. Licin.; Cic. Fam. 10, 11, 1.—
2. In partic., the last service, office to the dead, i. e. burial: pro hominis dignitate amplo munere extulit, Nep. Eum. 4, 4 (dub.; al. funere): suprema, Verg. A. 11, 25: supremum mortis, Cat. 101, 3: debita, Val. Fl. 3, 313: fungi inani Munere, Verg. A. 6, 885: cineri haec mittite nostro Munera, id. ib. 4, 624.—
C. A present, gift (syn.: donum, praemium): bonum datum deorum concessu atque munere, Cic. Univ. 14: mittere alicui, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 27, § 62: mittere aliquid alicui munere, to send one something as a present, Plin. 37, 5, 19, § 74 (al. muneri): quasi totam regionem muneri accepissent, had received as a present, Tac. A. 14, 31: aliquem munere donare, to present one with a gift, Verg. A. 5, 282: dare muneri aliquid alicui, to give one something as a present, Nep. Thras. 4, 2: munera Liberi, i. e. wine, Hor. C. 4, 15, 26: terrae, id. ib. 2, 14, 10: Cereris, bread, Ov. M. 10, 74; cf.: gratae post munus aristae, Juv. 14, 183: quem munere palpat Carus, i. e. a bribe, id. 1, 35.—
2. In partic.
a. A public show, spectacle, entertainment, exhibition, esp. a show of gladiators, which was given to the people by the magistrates, and generally by the Ædiles, as an expression of gratitude for the honorable office to which they had been elected (cf.: ludus, spectaculum): erat munus Scipionis, dignum et eo ipso et illo Q. Metello, cui dabatur, Cic. Sest. 58, 124: munus magnificum dare, id. Q. Fr. 3, 8, 6: praebere, id. Sull. 19, 54: functus est aedilicio maximo munere, i. e. gave a splendid exhibition, id. Off. 2, 16, 55: edere, Suet. Tit. 7: venationes, quae vocantur munera, Lact. 6, 20: munera nunc edunt, Juv. 3, 36; 4, 18.—
b. A public building for the use of the people, erected at the expense of an individual: Pompeii munera, the theatre, Vell. 2, 130, 1: aut ubi muneribus nati sua munera mater Addidit (i. e. theatro Marcelli porticum Octaviam), Ov. A. A. 1, 69.—
c. Transf., of the structure of the universe: effector vel moderator tanti operis et muneris, Cic. Tusc. 1, 28, 70.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*mey-
  2. Latinmūnus

Proto-Indo-European *moy-nósder. Proto-Italic *moinos Latin mūnus From Proto-Italic *moinos. Like mūnia (“duties”), it is derived from Proto-Indo-European *moy-nós, from *mey- (“change, swap”). As is the case with such derivatives as "municipality", and "immunity", the concept of trading goods and services in a way that conforms to a society's laws is quite pertinent to this term. From the addition of the "com-" prefix came commūnis (“common, public”), which is cognate to Proto-Germanic *gamainiz (“shared, communal, public”). The semantic shift to 'gift' is explained by Sextus Pompeius Festus thus: *

Descendants
  • Italianmuno
  • Portuguesemúnus

Quick answers

What does mūnus mean in Latin?
mūnus, a noun, means “a service, office, employment; a burden, duty, obligation; a service, favor”.
What is the genitive of mūnus?
The genitive singular is mūneris. mūnus is neuter, third declension.
How do you pronounce mūnus?
In classical Latin, [ˈmuː.nʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈmuː.nus].
Where does mūnus come from?
Proto-Indo-European *mey- → Latin mūnus.