LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininefirst declension

pertica

pertica f (genitive perticae)

Meaning

  1. femininepole, long staff
  2. femininemeasuring rod
  3. femininerod, (especially) the Roman rod of 10 ft (about 3 m)

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeperticaperticae
genitiveperticaeperticārum
dativeperticaeperticīs
accusativeperticamperticās
ablativeperticāperticīs
vocativeperticaperticae

pertĭca, ae, f.,
I. a pole, a long staff.
I. In gen.: perticam habere ... quī verberarem asinos, Plaut. As. 3, 2, 43: pertica suspensos portabat longa maniplos, Ov. F. 3, 117; cf. id. Nuc. 68: perticis oleas decutere, Plin. 15, 3, 3, § 11: messis perticis flagellatur, id. 18, 30, 72, § 298; 16, 37, 68, § 174: perticae, quibus araneae deterguntur, Dig. 33, 7, 12: pertica quā stabuli fores oflirmari solebant, App. M. 7, 28, p. 200.—
II. In partic.
A. A set, slip, young tree; of willows, Plin. 17, 20, 32, § 141.—
B. A measuring-rod, with which the grants of land were measured out to the soldiers; a pole, perch (usually called decempeda): abstulit excultas pertica tristis opes, Prop. 4 (5), 1, 130. Val. Cato, Dir. 45; cf. Serv. Verg. Ecl. 9, 7.—
b. Transf., a portion of land measured out with the pertica: quodcumque coloniae est assignatum, id universum pertica appellatur, Front. Limit. Agr. p. 43 Goes.—
2. Trop., a measure.—Prov.: non unā perticā, quod dicitur, Plin. Ep. 8, 2, 8.

Origins

From Proto-Italic *perth, *pertikā (whence also Oscan 𐌐𐌄𐌓𐌄𐌊 (perek, “pole”), Umbrian 𐌐𐌄𐌓𐌊𐌀𐌚 (perkaf, “rod”)), of uncertain origin. Possibly from Proto-Indo-European *pertʰ- (“pole, sprout”), and tentatively compared to Ancient Greek πτόρθος (ptórthos, “sprout”), Sanskrit कपृथ् (kapṛth, “penis”), though De Vaan dismisses these extra-Italic connections as "[not] even remotely convincing". Compare ridica (“stake”).

Borrowings
  • Englishperch
  • Portuguesepértiga
  • Portuguesepírtiga
  • Spanishpértigafrom Old Spanish piértiga
Southern Gallo-Romance
  • Catalanperxa
  • Spanishperchafrom Catalan perxa
  • Occitanpèrga
  • Gasconpèrjafrom Occitan pèrga
  • Nord-Occitanperjafrom Occitan pèrga
  • Provençalpertegafrom Occitan pèrga
  • Vivaro-Alpinepertiafrom Occitan pèrga
  • Vivaro-Alpinepergafrom Occitan pèrga
Italo-Romance
  • Italianpertica
  • Italianperchia
Northern Gallo-Romance
  • Frenchperche
  • Franco-Provençalperche
  • Franco-Provençalpercha
  • Normanpèrque
Gallo-Italic
  • Emilianperdga
  • Ligurianpèrtega
  • Lombardpèrtega
  • Lombardpertia
  • Piedmontesepèrtia
  • Piedmontesepèrcia
  • Piedmonteseperga
Ibero-Romance
  • Asturianpiértiga
  • Galicianpértega

In English words that came into English from pertica

  • perchpertica

Quick answers

What does pertica mean in Latin?
pertica, a noun, means “pole, long staff; measuring rod; rod, (especially) the Roman rod of 10 ft (about 3 m)”.
What is the genitive of pertica?
The genitive singular is perticae. pertica is feminine, first declension.