LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
proper noun · masculinesecond declension

Nīlus1

Nīlus m sg (genitive Nīlī)
Classical[ˈniː.ɫʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈniː.lus]

Meaning

  1. Nile (a large river in Africa, usually considered to be the longest river in the world; its basin covers Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Sudan, Sudan, and Egypt, flowing north through Khartoum and Cairo into the Mediterranean Sea)

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeNīlus—
genitiveNīlī—
dativeNīlō—
accusativeNīlum—
ablativeNīlō—
vocativeNīle—
locativeNīlī—

Nīlus, i, m., = Νεῖλος.
1. The river Nile, celebrated for its annual overflow, Lucr. 6, 712 sq.; Cic. N. D. 2, 52, 130; id. Rep. 6, 18, 19; Sen. Q. N. 4, 2; Plin. 5, 9, 10, § 51; 18, 8, 47, § 167; Vitr. 8, 2, 6; Mart. Cap. 6, § 676; Luc. 10, 199 et saep.—It flows through seven mouths into the sea, Juv. 13, 26; cf. Ov. M. 5, 187; 1, 422.—
2. Also personified, the god of the Nile, Nilus, father of the Egyptian Hercules, Cic. N. D. 3, 16, 42; cf. id. ib. 3, 23, 58 sq.—
B. Transf., a canal, conduit, aqueduct: piscina et nilus, Cic. Q. Fr. 3, 9, 7: ductus vero aquarum, quos isti nilos et euripos vocant, id. Leg. 2, 1, 2.—Hence,
II. Nī-lĭăcus, a, um, adj., of or belonging to the Nile: fontes, Luc. 10, 192: gurges, id. 9, 1023: fera, the crocodile, Mart. 5, 65, 14; cf. crocodilus, id. 3, 93, 7: holus, the colocasia, id. 13, 57, 1.—
2. Transf., Egyptian: Niliacis carmina lusa modis, Ov. A. A. 3, 318: amor, an Egyptian amour, i. e. with Cleopatra, Luc. 10, 80: tyrannus, id. 8, 281: plebs, Juv. 1, 26: pecus, i. e. Apis, Stat. Th. 3, 478: juvenca, Io or Isis. Mart. 8, 81, 2: lens, id. 13, 9, 1.—
B. Nīlĭcŏla, ae, m., a dweller on the Nile, an Egyptian, Prud. ap. Symm. 2, 439.—
C. Nīlĭgĕna, ae, comm., one born on the banks of the Nile, an Egyptian, Macr. S. 1, 16, 37: Niligenūm deūm, v. l. Verg. A. 8, 698 (cf. Lachm. ap. Lucr. 5, 440). —
D. Nīlōtĭcus, a, um, adj., of the Nile: Nilotica tellus, Mart. 6, 80, 1: rura, Luc. 9, 130: aqua, Sen. Q. N. 3, 25, 11.—
E. Nīlō-tis, ĭdis, f. adj., of or from the Nile, Egyptian: Nilotis acus, Luc. 10, 142: tunica, Mart. 10, 6, 7: aqua, Sid. Ep. 8, 12.

Origins

From Ancient Greek Νεῖλος (Neîlos).

Descendants
  • CatalanNil
  • FrenchNil
  • EnglishNilefrom French Nil
  • ItalianNilo
  • PortugueseNilo
  • SpanishNilo
  • GermanNil
  • SicilianNilu
  • AlbanianNili
  • DutchNijl

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

GeographyNilusNilus (ὁ Νεῖλος), the river Nile in Egypt. Of all the more important rivers of the globe known to the Greek and Roman writers, the Nile was that which…Biography & mythologyNilusNilus (Νεῖλος), or NEILUS, the name of several Byzantine writers. A full account of them is given by Leo Allatius, Diatribe de Nilis et eorum Scriptis…
noun · masculinesecond declension
nīlus2
nīlus m (genitive nīlī)
Classical[ˈniː.ɫʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈniː.lus]

Meaning

  1. poeticaqueduct

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativenīlusnīlī
genitivenīlīnīlōrum
dativenīlōnīlīs
accusativenīlumnīlōs
ablativenīlōnīlīs
vocativenīlenīlī

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

Nilus praecipitat ex altissimis montibus
the Nile rushes down from very high mountains.

Origins

A generalization of Nīlus (“the Nile”).

Quick answers

What does Nīlus mean in Latin?
Nīlus, a proper noun, means “Nile (a large river in Africa, usually considered to be the longest river in the world; its basin covers Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Sudan, Sud”.
What is the genitive of Nīlus?
The genitive singular is Nīlī. Nīlus is masculine, second declension.
How do you pronounce Nīlus?
In classical Latin, [ˈniː.ɫʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈniː.lus].