LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinethird declension

obses

obses m or f (genitive obsidis)
Classical[ˈɔp.sɛs]Ecclesiastical[ˈɔb.ses]

Meaning

  1. femininemasculinehostage (a person given as a pledge or security for the performance of the conditions of a treaty or similar agreement, such as to ensure the status of a vassal)
  2. femininefigurativelymasculinea security, pledge

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

homō quī prō pāce alterī datur
obses -idis (m) — in Metamorphoses I, ch. 2

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeobsesobsidēs
genitiveobsidisobsidum
obsidium
dativeobsidīobsidibus
accusativeobsidemobsidēs
ablativeobsideobsidibus
vocativeobsesobsidēs

obses (old orthogr. opses, in the first Epit. of the Scipios;
I. v. infra; Inscr. Spec. Epigr. p. 5, 11 Jahn), ĭdis (gen. plur. obsidium, Caes. B. G. 5, 27; 6, 9; Liv. 2, 13, 97), m. and f. ob-sedeo.
I. Lit., a hostage: OPSIDES ABDOVCIT, first Epit. of the Scipios: ut obsides accipere, non dare consueverint, Caes. B. G. 1, 14; Liv. 34, 35: obsides alicui imperare, Cic. Imp. Pomp. 12, 35: dedere, Sall. J. 54, 6: retinere aliquem obsidem, as a hostage, Nep. Them. 7, 2.—Fem.: me tamen acceptā poterat deponere bellum Obside, Ov. M. 8, 48: obsides, qui Porsenae mittebantur, Plin. 34, 6, 13, § 29: inter se dare, to exchange, Caes. B. G. 1, 9.—
II. Transf., in gen., a surety, security, bail, pledge (syn.: sponsor, vindex, vas, praes): Phocion se ejus rei obsidem fore, pollicitus est, to be surety, to answer for it, Nep. Phoc. 2, 4: accipere aliquem obsidem nuptiarum, Cic. Clu. 66, 188: conjugii, Ov. H. 2, 34: rei, Nep. Phoc. 2, 4: dare obsides, with a foll. acc. and inf., to give a surety or guarantee: tantum modo oratoribus Metellus obsides non dedit, se nullā in re Verri similem futurum, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 53, § 124.—Also of inanim. subjects: habemus a C. Caesare sententiam tamquam obsidem perpetuae in rem publicam voluntatis, Cic. Cat. 4, 5, 9; id. Cael. 32, 78; id. Clu. 30, 83; Quint. 12, 7, 3: obsidem enim se animum ejus habere, Liv. 39, 47.

Origins

Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep-der. Proto-Indo-European *h₁épsder. Proto-Indo-European *h₁óp(i) Proto-Italic *op Latin ob Latin ob- Proto-Indo-European *sed- Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁ti Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁yeti Proto-Indo-European *sedéh₁yeti Proto-Italic *sedēō Latin sedeō Proto-Indo-European *-s Latin -s Latin obses From ob- (“towards, to”) + sedeō (“to sit”) + -s.

Descendants
  • Italianostatico
  • Old Polishobsiadły

Quick answers

What does obses mean in Latin?
obses, a noun, means “hostage (a person given as a pledge or security for the performance of the conditions of a treaty or similar agreement, such as to ensure the status of a vassal); a security, pledge”.
What is the genitive of obses?
The genitive singular is obsidis. obses is masculine, third declension.
How do you pronounce obses?
In classical Latin, [ˈɔp.sɛs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈɔb.ses].