LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinesecond declension

pessulus

pessulus m (genitive pessulī)

Meaning

  1. masculinea bolt (of a door)

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Sera · Claustrum · Pessulus · Repagulum · Obex

Seræ and claustra are bolts; sera (seruisse, εἴρειν) a movable bolt, that is put on the door; claustrum, a bolt that is fastened to the door; whereas pessuli, repagula, and obices, are merely bars, which supply the place of bolts; pessulus (πάσσαλος) a smaller bar for the fores, Plaut. Aul. i. 2, 25. Ter. Heaut. ii. 3, 47; whereas repagulum (from πῆξαι), pangere, a greater bar for the valvæ, Cic. Verr. iv. 43. Plin. H. N. xvi. 42, and obex (from objicere) for the portæ, Tac. H. iii. 30. Ann. xiii. 39. (v. 292.)

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativepessuluspessulī
genitivepessulīpessulōrum
dativepessulōpessulīs
accusativepessulumpessulōs
ablativepessulōpessulīs
vocativepessulepessulī

pessŭlus, i, m. (
I. neutr. collat. form in plur. pessula, Paul. Nol. Carm. 18, 412) [πάσσαλος], a bolt (ante- and post-class.): occlude sis fores ambobus pessulis, Plaut. Aul. 1, 2, 25: pessuli, heus pessuli, vos saluto, id. Curc. 1, 2, 60: pessulum ostio obdo, shoot the bolt, lock the door, Ter. Eun. 3, 5, 55: foribus, id. Heaut. 2, 3, 37: pessulos inicere, to shoot the bolts, App. M. 3, p. 135, 39; 1, p. 107, 12; p. 108, 24: aperire: pessulum ostii mei aperui dilecto meo, Vulg. Cant. 5, 6.

Origins

From Ancient Greek πάσσαλος (pássalos), from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂ǵ- (whence pangō). See also repāgulum.

Descendants
  • Italianpeschiofrom Vulgar Latin *pestulus
  • Catalanpestellfrom Vulgar Latin *pestulus
  • Portuguesepestilofrom Vulgar Latin *pestulus
  • Spanishpestillofrom Vulgar Latin *pestulus
  • Portuguesefecharfrom Vulgar Latin *pestulus
  • Asturianpiesllufrom Vulgar Latin *pestulus
  • Asturianpriesllufrom Vulgar Latin *pestulus
  • Galicianpechofrom Vulgar Latin *pestulus
  • Galicianfecharfrom Vulgar Latin *pestulus

Quick answers

What does pessulus mean in Latin?
pessulus, a noun, means “a bolt (of a door)”.
What is the genitive of pessulus?
The genitive singular is pessulī. pessulus is masculine, second declension.