LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininefirst declension

phalerae

phalerae f pl (genitive phalerārum)
Classical[ˈpʰa.ɫɛ.rae̯]Ecclesiastical[ˈfaː.le.re]

Meaning

  1. femininepluralplural onlya metal disc or boss, especially worn as a military ornament on the breast
  2. femininepluralplural onlya trapping for the forehead and breast of horses

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

ōrnāmenta argentea fulgentia
phalerae -ārum (f) — in Aeneis, ch. 20

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominative—phalerae
genitive—phalerārum
dative—phalerīs
accusative—phalerās
ablative—phalerīs
vocative—phalerae

phălĕrae, ārum (
I. neutr. phalera posita, Plin. 33, 1, 6, § 18; Jan. phaleras), f., = τὰ φάλαρα.
I. Lit.
A. A smooth, shining ornament for the breast, a metal disc or boss, worn by men, esp. as a military decoration: phalerae sunt belli ornamenta, Non. 554, 15 sq.; Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 12, § 29: phaleris et torque aliquem donare id. ib. 2, 3, 80: phaleras deponere, Liv. 9, 46; cf. Plin. 33, 1, 6, § 18: phaleris hic pectora fulget, Sil. 15, 255.—As a military mark of distinction: equites donati phaleris, Liv. 39, 31; Verg. A. 9, 458 Heyn. and Wagn.; Juv. 16, 60.—Worn by women: matrona ornata phaleris pelagiis, P. Syrus ap. Petr. 55. —
B. A trapping for the forehead and breast of horses, Liv. 32, 52: primus equum phaleris insignem victor habeto, Verg. A. 5, 310; Plin. 37, 12, 74, § 194; Juv. 11, 103.—As a trapping for elephants, Gell. 5, 5, 3.—
II. Trop., an external ornament or decoration (poet. and in post-class. prose): ad populum phaleras! trappings for the people! who allow themselves to be deceived by externals, Pers. 3, 30.—Of rhetorical ornament, Mart. Cap. 3, § 221: loquendi, Symm. Ep. 83: heroicorum, Sid. Ep. 1, 9 fin.

Origins

From Ancient Greek φάλαρα (phálara), plural of φάλαρον (phálaron).

Descendants
  • Englishphalera

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

AntiquitiesPhaleraePhalerae The Latin word is probably derived from its Greek equivalent, φάλαρα (τά). Oddly enough, the singular, both in Latin and Greek, only occurs o…

Quick answers

What does phalerae mean in Latin?
phalerae, a noun, means “a metal disc or boss, especially worn as a military ornament on the breast; a trapping for the forehead and breast of horses”.
What is the genitive of phalerae?
The genitive singular is phalerārum. phalerae is feminine, first declension.
How do you pronounce phalerae?
In classical Latin, [ˈpʰa.ɫɛ.rae̯]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈfaː.le.re].