LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective

nocturnus

nocturnus (feminine nocturna, neuter nocturnum)
Classical[nɔkˈtʊr.nʊs]Ecclesiastical[nokˈtur.nus]
Mille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. adjectiveof or belonging to the night, nocturnal

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

noctis; custōs nocturnus, avēs nocturnae.
nocturnus -a -um — in Mille Verba, ch. Līmes: ad Carnuntum

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativenocturnusnocturnanocturnum
genitivenocturnīnocturnaenocturnī
dativenocturnōnocturnaenocturnō
accusativenocturnumnocturnamnocturnum
ablativenocturnōnocturnānocturnō
vocativenocturnenocturnanocturnum
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativenocturnīnocturnaenocturna
genitivenocturnōrumnocturnārumnocturnōrum
dativenocturnīsnocturnīsnocturnīs
accusativenocturnōsnocturnāsnocturna
ablativenocturnīsnocturnīsnocturnīs
vocativenocturnīnocturnaenocturna

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

tempus matutīnum, meridianum, vespertinum, nocturnum
morning, noon, evening, night.

nocturnus, a, um, adj. from the adv. noctu, analog. to diurnus from diu,
I. of or belonging to the night, nocturnal (class.): labores diurnos nocturnosque suscipere, Cic. Sen. 23, 82; opp. diurnus, id. Mil. 3, 9: nocturnum praesidium Palatii, id. Cat. 1, 1, 1: sacra, id. Leg. 2, 15, 37: horae, id. Rosc. Am. 7, 19: nocturno certare mero, putere diurno, Hor. Ep. 1, 19, 11: bella, Verg. A. 11, 736: ora, i. e. dark, black faces, Plaut. Poen. 1, 2, 107.—Poet. and in post-Aug. prose, of living beings that do any thing at night: fur nocturnus, Mos. et Rom. Leg. Coll. 7, 2, 1: adulter, Juv. 8, 144: lupus gregibus nocturnus obambulat, by night, Verg. G. 3, 538: qui nocturnus sacra divūm legerit, Hor. S. 1, 3, 117; 2, 6, 100: advocati jam paene nocturni, summoned almost in the night-time, i. e. very early, Petr. 15.—
II. Subst.: Nocturnus, i, m., the god of Night, Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 116.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*nókʷts
  2. Proto-Italic*nok⁽ʷ⁾ts
  3. Latinnocturnus

Latin -urnus Latin nocturnus From nox (“night”, oblique stem: noct-) + -urnus (suffix forming adjectives), on the analogy of diurnus.

Descendants
  • Italiannotturno
  • Englishnotturnofrom Italian notturno
  • Sardiniannoturnu
  • Spanish*nochorno
  • Catalannocturn
  • Germannüchternfrom Old High German nuohturn
  • Frenchnocturne
  • Englishnocturnefrom French nocturne
  • Romaniannocturnfrom French nocturne
  • Portuguesenoturno

In English words that came into English from nocturnus

  • nocturnalnocturnālis
  • nocturnenocturnus
  • nocturnnocturna

Quick answers

What does nocturnus mean in Latin?
nocturnus, a adjective, means “of or belonging to the night, nocturnal”.
How do you pronounce nocturnus?
In classical Latin, [nɔkˈtʊr.nʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [nokˈtur.nus].
Where does nocturnus come from?
Proto-Indo-European *nókʷts → Proto-Italic *nok⁽ʷ⁾ts → Latin nocturnus.
Which English words come from nocturnus?
English words that go back to Latin nocturnus include nocturne, nocturn and nocturnal.