LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininefirst declension

patella

patella f (genitive patellae)
Classical[paˈtɛl.la]Ecclesiastical[paˈtɛl.la]

Meaning

  1. femininea small or shallow pan or dish
  2. femininethe kneecap, patella
  3. femininea disease of the olive tree

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativepatellapatellae
genitivepatellaepatellārum
dativepatellaepatellīs
accusativepatellampatellās
ablativepatellāpatellīs
vocativepatellapatellae

pătella, ae, f. dim. patina,
I. a small pan or dish, a plate; a vessel used in cooking, and also to serve up food in.
I. Lit., Varr. ap. Prisc. p. 681 P.: patella esurienti posita, id. ap. Non. 543, 33; Hor. Ep. 1, 5, 2; Mart. 5, 78, 7; Juv. 10, 64: sinapi in patellis decoctum, Plin. 19, 8, 54, § 171: cicadae tostae in patellis, id. 30, 8, 21, § 68.—
B. In partic., a vessel used in sacrifices, an offering - dish: patellae vasula parva picata sacris faciendis apta, Fest. pp. 248 and 249 Müll.: oportet bonum civem legibus parere et deos colere, in patellam dare, μικρον κρεας, Varr. ap. Non. 544; Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 21, § 46: edere de patellā, of sacrilegious persons, id. Fin. 2, 7, 22 Madv. ad loc.; Liv. 26, 36; Ov. F. 6, 310; 2, 634; Pers. 3, 26; Val. Max. 4, 4, 3 al.—
II. Transf.
A. The kneepan, patella, Cels. 8, 1 fin.; 8, 21.—
B. A disease of the olive-tree, Plin. 17, 24. 37, § 223
Pătella and Pătellāna (Pă-telāna), ae, f. pateo,
I. a goddess that presiaed over the shooting of grain: Patellana numen est et Patella: ex quibus una est pateiactis, patefaciendis rebus altera praestituta, Arn. 4, 131: Patelana, Aug. Civ. Dei, 4, 8.

Origins

Ancient Greek πᾰτᾰ́νη (pătắnē)bor. Latin patina Proto-Indo-European *peth₂- Proto-Indo-European *-né- Proto-Indo-European *-ti Proto-Indo-European *ptnéh₂ti Proto-Italic *pandō Proto-Italic *patēō Latin pateō? Latin patera Proto-Indo-European *-lós Proto-Indo-European *-elós Proto-Italic *-elos Latin -la Latin patella From patina (“a broad shallow dish, pan”), or from patera (“broad flat dish”) + -la (diminutive suffix).

Southern Gallo-Romance
  • Catalanpaella
  • Spanishpaellafrom Catalan paella
  • Englishpaellafrom Catalan paella
  • Catalanpadella
  • Catalanpaiella
  • Catalanpella
  • Auvergnatpadela
  • Gasconpadèra
  • Gasconpadèira
  • Languedocienpadèla
Ibero-Romance
  • Portuguesepatela
  • Portuguesepadela
  • Spanishpadilla
  • Spanishpaila
  • Galicianpatela
  • Asturianpadiellafrom Old Leonese patella
  • Asturianpayellafrom Old Leonese patella
  • Leonesepailafrom Old Leonese patella
  • Mirandesepadielhafrom Old Leonese patella
Northern Gallo-Romance
  • Frenchpoêlefrom Old French paelle
  • Spanishpuelafrom Old French paelle
  • Franco-Provençalpéla
  • Franco-Provençalpéila
  • Franco-Provençalpaira
  • South Slaveylibéfrom Old French paelle
  • Normanpaêlefrom Old French paelle
  • Normanpêlefrom Old French paelle
Borrowings
  • Englishpatella
  • Frenchpatelle
  • Cornishpadelfrom Proto-Brythonic *padell
  • Welshpadellfrom Proto-Brythonic *padell
  • Ancient Greekπάτελλα
  • Polishpatelnia
Italo-Romance
  • Italianpadella
  • Sicilianpateḍḍa
  • Sicilianpadeḍḍa
Dalmatian
  • unknownpadella
Padanian
  • Emilianpadèla
  • Friulianpadiele
  • Ligurianpoêla
  • Ligurianpaêla
  • Ligurianpaila
  • Lombardpadèla
  • Piedmontesepèila
  • Piedmontesepaila
  • Piedmontesepèla
  • Piedmontesepajela
Elsewhere
  • TranslingualPatella

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

AntiquitiesPatellaPatella (λεκάνιον, λεκανίς, λεκανίδιον, λεκανίσκη, λοπάδιον), a small dish or plate. The word is a diminutive of PATINA: a supposed connexion with pat…

Quick answers

What does patella mean in Latin?
patella, a noun, means “a small or shallow pan or dish; the kneecap, patella; a disease of the olive tree”.
What is the genitive of patella?
The genitive singular is patellae. patella is feminine, first declension.
How do you pronounce patella?
In classical Latin, [paˈtɛl.la]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [paˈtɛl.la].