LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinesecond declension

pīcus

pīcus m (genitive pīcī)
Classical[ˈpiː.kʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈpiː.kus]

Meaning

  1. woodpecker
  2. griffin

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativepīcuspīcī
genitivepīcīpīcōrum
dativepīcōpīcīs
accusativepīcumpīcōs
ablativepīcōpīcīs
vocativepīcepīcī

pīcus, i, m. perh. root pingo; cf. pica.
I. A woodpecker, one of the birds used in augury, Plaut. As. 2, 1, 12: sunt et parvae aves uncorum unguium, ut pici, Martio cognomine insignes et in auspicatu magni, Plin. 10, 18, 20, § 40; 11, 37, 44, § 122; Non. 518, 24.—
II. A fabulous bird, the griffin: picos veteres esse voluerunt, quos Graeci γρύπας appellant. Plautus Aulularia (4, 8, 1): pici divitiis, qui aureos montes colunt, Ego solus supero, Non. 152, 7 sq.
Pīcus, i, m.,
I. son of Saturn, grandfather of Latinus, king of the aborigines, and a prophet; he was changed by Circe, whose love he had slighted, into a woodpecker, Ov. M. 14, 320; Verg. A. 7, 189 Serv.; Juv. 8, 131.

Origins

From Proto-Italic *pikos, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)peyk- (“woodpecker; magpie”), whence also Latin pīca (“magpie”). Romance evidence points to a form with -cc-, perhaps onomatopoeic and/or influenced by Vulgar Latin *pīccāre (“to strike, sting, peck”) and/or Proto-Germanic *pikkōną (“to pick, peck, prick”). Cf. Vulgar Latin *pīcca (“pick-axe”). Cognate with Umbrian peico (acc.sg.), Sanskrit पिक (piká, “cuckoo”), German Specht (“woodpecker”), Swedish spett (“crowbar, skewer; kind of woodpecker”).

Quick answers

What does pīcus mean in Latin?
pīcus, a noun, means “woodpecker; griffin”.
What is the genitive of pīcus?
The genitive singular is pīcī. pīcus is masculine, second declension.
How do you pronounce pīcus?
In classical Latin, [ˈpiː.kʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈpiː.kus].