adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective
Orcīnus
Orcīnus (feminine Orcīna, neuter Orcīnum)
Classical[ɔrˈkiː.nʊs]Ecclesiastical[orˈt͡ʃiː.nus]
Meaning
- Romanadjectiveof or pertaining to the underworld in Roman mythology
- adjectivehistoricalRoman senators who had been granted their position of authority by a document, supposedly written by Julius Caesar, that had only been publicized by Mark Antony after the dictator's death
Erant enim super mille, et quidam indignissimi et post necem Caesaris per gratiam et praemium adlecti, quos orcinos vulgus vocabat
There were now more than a thousand certainly unworthy senators chosen after the killing of Caesar through corruption and bribery who the common folk were calling "Orcini."c. 69 CE – 122 CE, Suetonius, De Vita Caesarum 2 35.period1 - adjectivehistoricalAncient Roman freedmen who had been set free by the last testament of their masters
In qua specie incipit tutela ad liberos patroni primos pertinere, quae ad patronos non pertinuit: quod quidem in omnibus Orcinis libertis locum habet testamento manumissis.
Digesta, 26 4.3
Declension
| form | masculine | feminine | neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | Orcīnus | Orcīna Orcīva | Orcīnum Orcīvum |
| genitive | Orcīnī Orcīvī | Orcīnae Orcīvae | Orcīnī Orcīvī |
| dative | Orcīnō Orcīvō | Orcīnae Orcīvae | Orcīnō Orcīvō |
| accusative | Orcīnum Orcīvum | Orcīnam Orcīvam | Orcīnum Orcīvum |
| ablative | Orcīnō Orcīvō | Orcīnā Orcīvā | Orcīnō Orcīvō |
| vocative | Orcīne Orcīve | Orcīna Orcīva | Orcīnum Orcīvum |
| form | masculine | feminine | neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | Orcīnī Orcīvī | Orcīnae Orcīvae | Orcīna Orcīva |
| genitive | Orcīnōrum Orcīvōrum | Orcīnārum Orcīvārum | Orcīnōrum Orcīvōrum |
| dative | Orcīnīs Orcīvīs | Orcīnīs Orcīvīs | Orcīnīs Orcīvīs |
| accusative | Orcīnōs Orcīvōs | Orcīnās Orcīvās | Orcīna Orcīva |
| ablative | Orcīnīs Orcīvīs | Orcīnīs Orcīvīs | Orcīnīs Orcīvīs |
| vocative | Orcīnī Orcīvī | Orcīnae Orcīvae | Orcīna Orcīva |
Orcīnus, a, um, adj. id.,
I. of or belonging to the realms of the dead:
liberti, set free by the last will of their masters, Dig. 26, 4, 3, § 3; ib. 33, 8, 22; ib. 40, 5, 30, § 12 al.: senatores, who had got into the Senate by means of Cœsar's testament, Suet. Aug. 35.Origins
From Orcus (the underworld) + -īnus (adjective forming suffix). Sense 2 was used satirically to refer to senators placed into power by a decree written by Julius Caesar but only read by Mark Antony after the former's death. The joke referred to the fact that these politicians only rose to power through the will of a dead man, someone who belongs to the underworld.
Descendants
- Ancient GreekΧαρωνῖται