noun · masculinesecond declension
pēniculus1
pēniculus m (genitive pēniculī)
Classical[peːˈnɪ.kʊ.ɫʊs]Ecclesiastical[peˈniː.ku.lus]
Meaning
- a brush [for removing dust] (for which ox-tails and horse-tails were used)
- a sponge (a soft kind used for medical purposes)
- a painter’s brush or pencil
- penis, membrum virile
- Medieval Latina scourge (kind of whip)
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | pēniculus | pēniculī |
| genitive | pēniculī | pēniculōrum |
| dative | pēniculō | pēniculīs |
| accusative | pēniculum | pēniculōs |
| ablative | pēniculō | pēniculīs |
| vocative | pēnicule | pēniculī |
pēnĭcŭlus, i, m. dim. penis, lit., a little tail; hence,
I. A brush for removing dust (for which ox-tails and horse-tails were used):
(a pene) peniculi, quis calciamenta tergentur, quod e codis extremis faciebant antiqui, etc., Fest. p. 230 Müll.: juventus nomen fecit Peniculo mihi, ideo quia mensam, quando edo, detergeo, Plaut. Men. 1, 1, 1; cf.: Quis iste'st Peniculus? Qui extergentur baxeae? id. ib. 2, 3, 40.— II. A sponge:
ut peniculus novos exurgeri solet, Plaut. Rud. 4, 3, 69; Ter. Eun. 4, 7, 7; Amm. 15, 5, 4; cf.: peniculi spongiae longae propter similitudinem caudarum appellatae, Paul. ex Fest. p. 208 Müll. —III. A painter's brush or pencil, Dig. 33, 7, 17.—
IV. Perh., in an ambiguous sense, = membrum virile, Plaut. Men. 2, 2, 12.
Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
pēniculus ī, m dim.
penis, a sponge , T.
Origins
A diminutive form of pēnis (“a tail”, anatomy “the penis”), formed as pēni(s) + -culus (suffix forming diminutives), so, literally, “a little tail” or "a little penis".