noun · neutersecond declension
oscillum1
oscillum n (genitive oscillī)
Classical[ɔsˈkɪl.lũː]Ecclesiastical[oʃˈʃil.lum]
Meaning
- neuterswing (apparatus)
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | oscillum | oscilla |
| genitive | oscillī | oscillōrum |
| dative | oscillō | oscillīs |
| accusative | oscillum | oscilla |
| ablative | oscillō | oscillīs |
| vocative | oscillum | oscilla |
oscillum, i, n. dim. 1. os; lit. little mouth; hence,
I. A little cavity in the middle of leguminous fruits, where the germ sprouts forth:
oscilla lupinorum, Col. 2, 10, 3.—* II. A little image of the face, a little mask of Bacchus, hung from trees, so as to be easily moved by the wind:
tibique (Bacche) Oscilla ex altā suspendunt mollia pinu, Verg. G. 2, 389; cf. Serv. ad loc.; Macr. S. 1, 7; 11.oscillum, i, n. ob- or obs-cillo,
Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
ōscillum ī, n dim.
1 os, a little face, little mask (of Bacchus; a charm to protect the vineyard), V.
Origins
Traditionally taken as a nominal formation from obs- + an element *cillō (“to move”) + -um, the main semantic component of unknown origin. Whether the word decomposition into the above elements is even correct is also implicitly doubted by Ernout and Meillet. Note also similarities to vacillō (“to sway, waver”), also of unclear origin, as well as vague resemblance to celer (“fast, quick”). Other theories identify ōscillum as a diminutive of ōs (“mouth”), as Bacchanal masks (resembling little mouths) would supposedly be hung from trees and swayed by the wind on them. This appears to be folk-etymological, however.