noun · neutersecond declension
ōstium
ōstium n (genitive ōstiī or ōstī)
Classical[ˈoːs.ti.ũː]Ecclesiastical[ˈɔs.ti.um]
Mille Verba core vocabulary
Meaning
- door
- entrance
- estuary
- mouth (of a river)
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
iānua; per ōstium intrāmus.ōstium -ī n — in Mille Verba, Domus et Familia
iānua, aditusōstium -ī (n) — in Evangelium secundum Matthaeum, ch. 25
ōs flūminis, ubi in mare exitōstium -ī (n) — in Metamorphoses I, ch. 5
porta, aditusōstium -ī (n) — in Aeneis, ch. 14
Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms
Ostium · Janua · Fores · Valvæ
Ostium and janua denote the door, as the opening through which one goes in and out; ostium, as the most general expression for any door, like θύρα; janua, as a particular expression only for a house-door; whereas fores and valvæ denote the leaves of a door, which serve to close the opening; fores, of ordinary doors, like θυρίδες; valvæ, of stately buildings and temples, as double or folding doors. Tac. Ann. xiv. 8. Anicetus refracta janua obvios servorum adripit, donec ad fores cubiculi veniret. (v. 214.)
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | ōstium ōstiolum | ōstia ōstiola |
| genitive | ōstiī ōstī, ōstiolī | ōstiōrum ōstiolōrum |
| dative | ōstiō ōstiolō | ōstiīs ōstiolīs |
| accusative | ōstium ōstiolum | ōstia ōstiola |
| ablative | ōstiō ōstiolō | ōstiīs ōstiolīs |
| vocative | ōstium ōstiolum | ōstia ōstiola |
Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book
- ostium, fores pulsare
- to knock at the door.
- ostium, fores aperire, claudere
- to open, shut the door.
ostĭum, ii, n. kindred with Sanscr. oshtha, labium; Slav. ūsta, the same; cf. os,
I. a door (class.; cf.: porta, janua, fores, valvae).
I. Lit.:
omnia istaec auscultavi ab ostio, Plaut. Merc. 2, 4, 9: observare, id. Mil. 2, 3, 81: rectum ostium, the front-door (cf. posticum), Plaut. Mil. 2, 3, 58 Brix ad loc.: aperire, to open, Ter. Heaut. 2, 3, 35: operire, to shut, id. Phorm. 5, 3, 33: obserare intus, to bolt, id. Eun. 4, 6, 25: obdere pessulum ostio, id. ib. 3, 5, 55: concrepuit ostium a Glycerio, id. And. 4, 1, 58: inscribat aliquis arse verse in ostio, Afran. ap. Fest. p. 18 Müll.: ostium limenque carceris, Cic. Tusc. 5, 5, 13: aperto ostio dormire, id. Rosc. Am. 23, 65: quaerere ab ostio, id. de Or. 2, 68, 276: exactio ostiorum, doortax, id. Fam. 3, 8, 5; v. 2. ostiarius, III.: sepulcri, Dig. 43, 23, 11.—II. Transf., a mouth, an entrance of any kind:
Acheruntis ostium in nostrost agro, Plaut. Trin. 2, 4, 124: aperto ex ostio Alti Acheruntis. Poët. ap. Cic. Tusc. 1, 16, 37: sacra Inferni ostia, Verg. G. 4, 467; id. A. 6, 109: ne in rimis areae grana oblitescant, et ostia aperiant muribus ac formicis, entrances, Varr. R. R. 1, 51, 1: portūs, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 53, § 118: fluminis, mouth, id. Phil. 2, 11, 26; Liv. 24, 40; 44, 6; 44, 45; cf. Rhodani, Caes. B. C. 2, 1: Tiberinaque ad ostia venit, Ov. M. 15, 728; cf. Verg. A. 1, 13: Oceani, i. e. the Strait of Gibraltar, Cic. Imp. Pomp. 12, 33; Mel. 3, 9, 3.—Fig.: ego sum ostium ovium, Vulg. Johan. 10, 7.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
ōstium ī, n
cf. os, a door: extra ostium, out of doors, T.: aperire, open, T.: operire, shut, T.: obserare intus, bolt, T.: aperto ostio dormire: exactio ostiorum, door-tax (i. e. ostiarium): ostia pulsat, knocks at, H.—A mouth, entrance: aperto ex ostio Acheruntis: alta ostia Ditis, V.: fluminis, mouth: Rhodani, Cs.: Tiberinaque ad ostia venit, O.: Oceani, i. e. the Strait of Gibraltar.
Origins
Formed from or cognate with ōs (“mouth”).
Borrowings
- Englishostium
- Italianostio
- Portugueseóstio
- Spanishostio
Balkano-Romance
- Romanianușă
- Aromanianushã
- Aromanianushi
- Istro-Romanianușă
Italo-Romance
- Italianuscio
Ibero-Romance
- Spanishuzofrom Old Spanish uço
Rhaeto-Romance
- Friulianus
- Ladinusc
- Romanshisch
- Romanshesch
- Romanshüsch
Gallo-Italic
- Romagnolós
Gallo-Romance
- Old Frenchhuis
Elsewhere
- Asturianantoxanafrom Vulgar Latin *ante ostianum