LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · neutersecond declension

ōsculum

ōsculum n (genitive ōsculī)
Classical[ˈoːs.kʊ.ɫũː]Ecclesiastical[ˈɔs.ku.lum]
Mille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. a kiss
    occupat amplexū lacrimāsque per ōscula siccatHe holds her in loving embraces, and her tears he dries through kisses. (Ariadne and her husband Dionysus reconcile following his infidelity to her.)8 CE, Ovidius, Fasti 3.509
  2. a little mouth
  3. New Latina small orifice

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

cum ōra amantium sē tangunt; ōsculum dare.
ōsculum -ī n — in Mille Verba, Convīvium
cum ōs ōrī tangitur, amōris signum
ōsculum -ī (n) — in Metamorphoses I, †

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Osculum · Suavium · Basium

Osculum is a friendly; suavium, a tender; basium, an ardent kiss. (vi. 251.)

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeōsculumōscula
genitiveōsculīōsculōrum
dativeōsculōōsculīs
accusativeōsculumōscula
ablativeōsculōōsculīs
vocativeōsculumōscula

oscŭlum (auscŭlum, Plaut. Am. 2, 2, 84; osclum, id. Truc. 1, 2, 8), i, n. dim. 1. os,
I. a little mouth, pretty mouth, sweet mouth (cf.: labium, labellum).
I. Lit. (only poet. and in post-Aug. prose): videt oscula, quae, etc., Ov. M. 1, 499; 10, 344: delibare, to touch, i. e. to kiss, Verg. A. 12, 434; id. G. 2, 523; Mart. 11, 92, 7; Suet. Aug. 94; Petr. 126; App. M. 3, p. 137, 41.—
II. Transf., a kiss (freq. and class.; syn.: basium, suavium): utinam continuo ad osculum Atticae possim currere, Cic. Att. 12, 1, 1: oggerere, to give, Plaut. Truc. 1, 2, 8: alicui ferre, id. Ep. 4, 2, 4; Cic. Fragm. ap. Non.: capere, to take, Ov. 11, 13, 120: figere, to imprint, Verg. A. 1, 687: carpere, Ov. H. 11, 117: sumere, id. ib. 13, 141: eripere, Tib. 2, 5, 91: jacere, Tac. H. 1, 36: accipere et dare, Ov. H. 15, 132: detorquere ad oscula Cervicem, Hor. C. 2, 12, 25: rapere, to snatch, steal, Val. Fl. 1, 264: breve, a brief, hasty kiss, Tac. Agr. 4: osculi jus, the right of kissing between relatives of both sexes, Suet. Claud. 26: in osculo sancto, Vulg. Rom, 16, 16.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₁óh₃s
  2. Proto-Italic*ōs
  3. Latinōsculum

Proto-Indo-European *-lós Proto-Indo-European *-elós Proto-Italic *-elos Proto-Italic *-kelos Latin -culum Latin ōsculum From ōs (“mouth”) + -culum (diminutive suffix).

Descendants
  • Englishosculum
  • Frenchoscule
  • Italianosculo
  • Portugueseósculo
  • Spanishósculo

In English words that came into English from ōsculum

  • osculumōsculum
  • osculationōsculātiō
  • osculantosculans
  • osculateōsculātus
  • inosculateosculor
  • oscularōsculum
  • osculatrixosculātrīx
  • adosculationadosculari

Quick answers

What does ōsculum mean in Latin?
ōsculum, a noun, means “a kiss; a little mouth; a small orifice”.
What is the genitive of ōsculum?
The genitive singular is ōsculī. ōsculum is neuter, second declension.
How do you pronounce ōsculum?
In classical Latin, [ˈoːs.kʊ.ɫũː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈɔs.ku.lum].
Where does ōsculum come from?
Proto-Indo-European *h₁óh₃s → Proto-Italic *ōs → Latin ōsculum.
Which English words come from ōsculum?
English words that go back to Latin ōsculum include osculum, oscular, osculant, osculate, inosculate and osculation.