LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinesecond declension

pilleus

pilleus m (genitive pilleī)
Classical[ˈpɪl.le.ʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈpil.le.us]

Meaning

  1. masculinea felt cap worn at the Saturnalia, and given to freed slaves
  2. figurativelymasculineliberty, freedom
    Dīcet aliquis nunc mē vocāre ad pilleum servōs et dominōs dē fastīgiō suō dēicere, quod dīxī, “Cōlant potius dominum quam timeant”.Someone will now say that I’m calling slaves to freedom and casting down masters from their lofty position, because I said, “[Slaves] should honor their master rather than fear him.”c. 4 BCE – 65 CE, Seneca Minor, Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium 47.18
    Posterō diē, servī ad pilleum vocātī, et carcere vīnctī ēmissī.The next day, slaves were summoned to freedom, and those bound in prison were released.27 BCE – 25 BCE, Titus Livius, Ab urbe condita 24.32

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativepilleuspilleī
pīleī
genitivepilleī
pīleī		pilleōrum
pīleōrum
dativepilleō
pīleō		pilleīs
pīleīs
accusativepilleum
pīleum		pilleōs
pīleōs
ablativepilleō
pīleō		pilleīs
pīleīs
vocativepillee
pīlee		pilleī
pīleī

pillĕus, i, m., and pillĕum, i, n. akin to Gr. πῖλος, with same signif.; also to pilus, a hair,
I. a felt cap or hat, made to fit close, and shaped like the half of an egg. It was worn by the Romans at entertainments and festivals, esp. at the Saturnalia, and was given to a slave at his enfranchisement as a sign of freedom (cf. petasus).
I. Lit.: pilleum quem habuit deripuit, Plaut. Fragm. ap. Non. 220, 14; id. Amph. 1, 1, 305: haec mera libertas, hanc nobis pillea donant, id. Pers. 5, 82. Free-born persons who had fallen into captivity also wore the pilleus for a while after the recovery of their freedom, Liv. 30, 45; 34, 52; Val. Max. 5, 2, 5 and 6. Gladiators who had often been victorious also received the pilleus at their discharge, Tert. Spect. 21. There were also leathern pillei, called Pannonian, which were worn by soldiers when off duty, in order that, by being always accustomed to wear something on their heads, the helmet might seem less burdensome, Veg. Mil. 1, 20.—
II. Meton.
A. Liberty, freedom: servos ad pilleum vocare, to summon the slaves to freedom, Liv. 24, 32; Suet. Tib. 4; Sen. Ep. 47, 16; Val. Max. 8, 6, 2: totis pillea sarcinis redemi, i. e. I have made myself independent by selling all my goods, Mart. 2, 68, 4.—
B. A protector: te obsecro, Pilleum meum, mi sodalis, mea salubritas, Plaut. Fragm. ap. Non. 220, 16.—
C. The membrane which envelops the head of the fœtus, a child's caul, Lampr. Diadum. 4.

Origins

From the same Proto-Indo-European source as Proto-Slavic *pьlstь (“felt”), Old High German filz, Ancient Greek πῖλος (pîlos, “felt”), Albanian plis (“felt”).

Descendants
  • Catalanpella
  • Frenchpeille
  • Italianpeglia
  • ItalianPeglio
  • Occitanpelha

In English words that came into English from pilleus

  • pileuspīleus

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

AntiquitiesPilleusPilleus or PILLEUM. The art of making felt by beating hair or flocks of wool into a compact mass seems to be at least as old as the art of weaving. It…

Quick answers

What does pilleus mean in Latin?
pilleus, a noun, means “a felt cap worn at the Saturnalia, and given to freed slaves; liberty, freedom”.
What is the genitive of pilleus?
The genitive singular is pilleī. pilleus is masculine, second declension.
How do you pronounce pilleus?
In classical Latin, [ˈpɪl.le.ʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈpil.le.us].