LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinesecond declension

palmus

palmus m (genitive palmī)
Classical[ˈpaɫ.mʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈpal.mus]

Meaning

  1. masculinepalm
  2. Classical Latinmasculinepalm, (especially) the Roman palm of about 7.4 cm.
    Quis mēnsus est pugillō aquās, et caelōs palmō ponderāvit?Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativepalmuspalmī
genitivepalmīpalmōrum
dativepalmōpalmīs
accusativepalmumpalmōs
ablativepalmōpalmīs
vocativepalmepalmī

palmus, i, m. 1. palma,
I. the palm of the hand.
I. Lit.: manūs palmum, Vitr. 2, 3: Graeci antiqui doron palmum vocabant: et ideo dora munera, quia manu darentur, Plin. 35, 14, 49, § 171.—
II. Transf., as a measure of length, a span, or twelve digits, Varr. R. R. 3, 7: amomum frutex myrtuosus, palmi altitudine, Plin. 12, 13, 28, § 48: minor, a smaller measure, a palm, or four digits, acc. to Vitr. 3, 1, 5.

Origins

From Proto-Indo-European *pl̥h₂m- (“palm of the hand”).

Descendants
  • Catalanpam
  • Catalanpalm
  • Italianpalmo
  • Portuguesepalmo
  • Spanishpalmo
  • Galicianpalmo
  • Piedmontesepalm
  • Sicilianparmu

In English words that came into English from palmus

  • palmopalmus

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

AntiquitiesPalmusPalmus (also palma, Plin. Nat. 7.28), properly the width of the open hand, or, more exactly, of the four fingers, was used by the Romans for two diffe…

Quick answers

What does palmus mean in Latin?
palmus, a noun, means “palm; palm, (especially) the Roman palm of about 7.4 cm.”.
What is the genitive of palmus?
The genitive singular is palmī. palmus is masculine, second declension.
How do you pronounce palmus?
In classical Latin, [ˈpaɫ.mʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈpal.mus].