LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinesecond declension

ocellus

ocellus m (genitive ocellī)
Classical[ɔˈkɛl.lʊs]Ecclesiastical[oˈt͡ʃɛl.lus]

Meaning

  1. diminutivemasculinediminutive of oculus: little eye
    c. 84 BCE – 54 BCE, Catullus, Carmina 3.18
  2. masculinedarling

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeocellusocellī
genitiveocellīocellōrum
dativeocellōocellīs
accusativeocellumocellōs
ablativeocellōocellīs
vocativeocelleocellī

ŏcellus, i, m. dim. oculus,
I. a little eye, eyelet (mostly poet.).
I. Lit.: blanda quies furtim victis obrepsit ocellis, Ov. F. 3, 19: ut in ocellis hilaritudo est! Plaut. Rud. 2, 4, 8: turgiduli, Cat. 3, 17: ebrii, id. 43, 11: irati, Ov. Am. 2, 8, 15: acre malum semper stillantis ocelli, Juv. 6, 109: si prurit frictus ocelli angulus, id. 6, 578.—As a term of endearment: ocelle mi! my little eye! my darling! Plaut. Trin. 2, 1, 18: aureus, id. As. 3, 3, 101: jucundissimus meus, Aug. ap. Gell. 15, 7, 3: cave despuas, ocelle, Cat. 50, 19.—So of things, like our apple of the eye: cur ocellos Italiae, villulas meas, non vides? Cic. Att. 16, 6, 2: insularum, Cat. 31, 1.—
II. Transf., a bulb or knob on the roots of the reed (called also oculus), Plin. 21, 4, 10, § 20.

Origins

Proto-Indo-European *h₃ekʷ-der. Proto-Indo-European *-lós Proto-Indo-European *-elós Proto-Italic *-elos Latin -ulus Latin oculus ▲ Proto-Italic *-elos Latin -lus Latin ocellus From oculus (“eye”) + -lus.

Descendants
  • Catalanocel
  • Englishocellus
  • Frenchocelle
  • Italianocello
  • Portugueseocelo
  • Spanishocelo
  • Galicianocelo

Quick answers

What does ocellus mean in Latin?
ocellus, a noun, means “diminutive of oculus: little eye; darling”.
What is the genitive of ocellus?
The genitive singular is ocellī. ocellus is masculine, second declension.
How do you pronounce ocellus?
In classical Latin, [ɔˈkɛl.lʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [oˈt͡ʃɛl.lus].