LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinethird declension

pallor

pallor m (genitive pallōris)
Classical[ˈpal.lɔr]Ecclesiastical[ˈpal.lor]

Meaning

  1. masculinea pale color, paleness, wanness, pallor
    Haec effāta silet, pallor simul occupat ōra.Having spoken these [words], [Dido] falls silent, while pallor overspreads her face. (Although Dido appeared hopeful in line 477, now her pallid complexion portends her suicidal intent.)29 BCE – 19 BCE, Vergilius, Aeneis 4.499
    pallor abit, subitāsque vident in corpore vīrēsHis pallor departs, and they see sudden vigor in his body. (Triptolemus, child of Celeus and Metanira, is healed by the goddess Ceres.)8 CE, Ovidius, Fasti 4.541
  2. broadlymasculinemustiness, moldiness, mildew
  3. broadlymasculinedimness, faintness
  4. broadlymasculinea disagreeable color or shape, unsightliness
  5. figurativelymasculinealarm, terror

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

color albus vultūs timentis
pallor -ōris (m) — in Metamorphoses I, ch. 23

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativepallorpallōrēs
genitivepallōrispallōrum
dativepallōrīpallōribus
accusativepallōrempallōrēs
ablativepallōrepallōribus
vocativepallorpallōrēs

pallor, ōris, m. palleo,
I. pale color, paleness, wanness, pallor.
I. Lit.: pudorem rubor, terrorem pallor et tremor consequitur, Cic. Tusc. 4, 8, 19: albus ora pallor inficit, Hor. Epod. 7, 15: luteus, id. ib. 10, 16; id. S. 2, 8, 35; 2, 18, 25: partemque coloris Luridus exsangues pallor convertit in herbas, Ov. M. 4, 267; cf.: gelidus pallor, id. Tr. 1, 4, 11: confuderat oris exsanguis notas pallor, Curt. 8, 3, 13: pallor ora occupat, Verg. A. 4, 499: femineus pallor in corpore, Plin. Pan. 48, 4: Aurorae, Stat. Th. 2, 334.— Esp. of lovers: tinctus violā pallor amantium, Hor. C. 3, 10, 14; cf. Ov. M. 8, 790; Prop. 1, 5, 21.—Of the Lower World: pallor hiemsque tenent late loca senta, Ov. M. 4, 436; Luc. 5, 628.—Plur.: quae palloribus omnia pingunt, Lucr. 4, 336: tot hominum pallores, the paleness of death, Tac. Agr. 45, 3.—
B. Transf.
1. Mustiness, mouldiness: pallor, tineae omnia caedunt, Lucil. ap. Non. 462, 26: venti umidi pallore volumina (bibliothecarum) corrumpunt, Vitr. 6, 7: ne (dolia) pallorem capiant, Col. 12, 50, 16; 12, 41, 4.—
2. A disagreeable color or shape, unsightliness: palloribus omnia pingunt, Lucr. 4, 311: pallorem ducere, Ov. M. 8, 759: obscurus solis, in an eclipse, Luc. 7, 200; Plin. 2, 30, 30, § 98.—
II. Trop., alarm, terror: palla pallorem incutit, Plaut. Men. 4, 2, 46: hic tibi pallori, Cynthia, versus erit, Prop. 2, 5, 30: quantus pro conjuge pallor, Stat. S. 5, 1, 70: notare aliquem pallore, Luc. 8, 55.—Hence,
B. Pallor, personified as the god of fear, Liv. 1, 27, 7; Lact. 1, 20, 11.

Origins

From palleō (“to be or look pale, blanch”) + -or, from Proto-Indo-European *pel- (“gray”).

Descendants
  • Englishpallor
  • Frenchpâleur
  • Italianpallore
  • Occitanpallor
  • Portuguesebolor
  • Portuguesepalor
  • Spanishpalor
  • Galicianbalor

In English words that came into English from pallor

  • pallorpallor

Quick answers

What does pallor mean in Latin?
pallor, a noun, means “a pale color, paleness, wanness, pallor; mustiness, moldiness, mildew; dimness, faintness”.
What is the genitive of pallor?
The genitive singular is pallōris. pallor is masculine, third declension.
How do you pronounce pallor?
In classical Latin, [ˈpal.lɔr]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈpal.lor].