noun · femininefirst declension
parra1
parra f (genitive parrae)
Classical[ˈpar.ra]Ecclesiastical[ˈpar.ra]
Meaning
- feminineA bird of ill omen; perhaps the barn owl
Near-synonyms: būbō, strix, ulula, noctua
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | parra | parrae |
| genitive | parrae | parrārum |
| dative | parrae | parrīs |
| accusative | parram | parrās |
| ablative | parrā | parrīs |
| vocative | parra | parrae |
parra, ae, f., a bird of ill omen,
I. the common or barn owl; acc. to others, the green woodpecker or the lapwing:
picus et cornix ab laevā, corvus, parra ab dexterā consuadent, Plaut. As. 2, 1, 12 Fleck.: impios parrae recinentis omen Ducat, etc., Hor. C. 3, 27, 1 Orell.; cf. Plin. 18, 29, 69, § 292.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
parra ae, f
a bird of ill omen, screech-owl: parrae recinentis omen, H.
Origins
Uncertain. De Vaan leaves the etymology uncertain, though he tentatively posits a connection with Proto-Indo-European *sprH-, perhaps via an intermedary form *sprH-e/os-. Nevertheless, he also considers it possible that these words could all have been borrowed from a non-IE source. Höfler alternatively proposes the existence of an original possessive s-stem adjective *(s)pr̥h₂sós, which then may have been substantivized, yielding *(s)pṛ́h₂seh₂, itself potentially producing Proto-Italic *parVzā via the palma-rule. This proto-form would then be the source of parra and Umbrian 𐌐𐌀𐌓𐌚𐌀𐌌 (parfam). Cognate with English sparrow.
Descendants
- Italianparra