LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininefirst declension

plāga1

plāga f (genitive plāgae)
Classical[ˈpɫaː.ɡa]Ecclesiastical[ˈplaː.ɡa]

Meaning

  1. plague, misfortune
  2. stroke, blow, cut, strike
    Near-synonym: colaphus
  3. wound, gash, injury

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Rete · Cassis · Plaga

Retia (from ῥῆχος, ἀράχνη,) is the most general expression for fishing and hunting nets; casses and plagæ are implements used in hunting only; casses (from κοττάνη), nets for catching the smaller wild animals; plagæ (from πλέξαι), nets of a stronger texture to get larger animals into one’s power by entangling them. Hor. Ep. 2, 32. Aut trudit acres apros in obstantes plagas, aut amite levi rara tendit retia. (vi. 304.)

Locus · Tractus · Regio · Plaga

Locus (λόχος) denotes a space, as a single point, like τόπος; tractus (from trahere) as a line, with the notion of extension to a distance, as a tract of country, something like κλίμα; regio (from ῥῆχος, ὄρχος,) as a circle, with the included notion of the environs, like the surrounding country, χῶρος; plaga (πλάξ) principally as a surface or plain.

Vulnus · Plaga · Ulcus · Cicatrix · Saucius

1. Vulnus and plaga denote a wound from without; vulnus (from lanius?) by means of a weapon, or other cutting instrument; plaga, by means of any instrument carried with intention to injure; whereas ulcus (ἄλοξ, ὦλξ) means any open or sore place in the body, that has begun to fester, etc.; cicatrix, the scar that is left when a wound is healed. Suet. Vit. 10. Verbera et plagas, sæpe vulnera, nonnunquam necem repræsentantes adversantibus. Plin. H. N. xvi. 12. Cels. viii. 4. 2. Vulneratus means wounded in general; saucius, so wounded as to be unfit for fighting, and is the proper expression for those that are wounded in battle. Cic. Verr. i. 27. Servi nonnulli vulnerantur; ipse Rubrius sauciatur. (iv. 255.)

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeplāgaplāgae
genitiveplāgaeplāgārum
dativeplāgaeplāgīs
accusativeplāgamplāgās
ablativeplāgāplāgīs
vocativeplāgaplāgae

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

mortiferam plagam alicui infligere
to inflict a mortal wound on some one.
plagam extremam or mortiferam infligere
to inflict a death-blow.

plāga, ae, f. cf. plango, = πληγή,
I. a blow, stroke, wound, stripe (class.; syn.: ictus, verbera, vulnus).
I. Lit.
A. In gen., Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 51, § 134: (pueris) dant animos plagae, Verg. A. 7, 382; Ov. M. 12, 487; 13, 119; Gell. 5, 15, 7: plagae et vulnera, Tac. G. 7.—Of the shock of atoms striking together, Cic. Fat. 20, 48; cf. id. ib. 10, 22.—
B. In partic., a blow which wounds or injures; a stroke, cut, thrust; a wound (class.).
1. Absol.: plagis costae callent, Plaut. Ps. 1, 2, 4: quem irrigatum plagis pistori dabo, refreshed by a flogging, id. Ep. 1, 2, 18: plagas pati, Ter. Eun. 2, 2, 13: plagas perferre, to bear, receive blows, Cic. Tusc. 2, 17, 41: plagam accipere, id. Sest. 19, 44: plagam mortiferam infligere, to inflict a mortal wound, id. Vatin. 8, 20: plaga mediocris pestifera, id. Off. 1, 24, 84: verbera et plagas repraesentare, stripes and blows, Suet. Vit. 10: plagis confectus, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 54, § 140: flagelli plaga livorem facit, Vulg. Ecclus. 28, 21: plagam curare, Cels. 5, 26, 24: suere, id. 5, 26, 23.—
2. With gen.: scorpionum et canum plagas sanare, Plin. H. N. 23 prooem. 3, § 6.—
C. Transf., a welt, scar, stripe: etiam de tergo ducentas plagas praegnatis dabo, swollen welts, Plaut. As. 2, 2, 10.—
II. Trop.
A. A blow, stroke; an injury, misfortune (class.): illa plaga est injecta petitioni tuae maxima, that great blow was given, that great obstacle was presented, Cic. Mur. 23, 48: sic nec oratio plagam gravem facit, nisi, etc., makes a deep impression, id. Or. 68, 228: levior est plaga ab amico, quam a debitore, loss, injury, id. Fam. 9, 16, 7: hac ille perculsus plaga non succubuit, blow, disaster, Nep. Eum. 5.—
B. A plague, pestilence, infection (late Lat.): leprae, Vulg. Lev. 13, 2; id. 2 Reg. 24, 25.—
C. An affliction, annoyance (late Lat.), Vulg. Deut. 7, 19: caecitatis, id. Tob. 2, 13.—
D. Slaughter, destruction (late Lat.): percussit eos plagā magnā, Vulg. 1 Reg. 23, 5; id. 2 Reg. 17, 9.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*pel-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*pleh₂g-
  3. Proto-Indo-European*pl(e)h₂géh₂
  4. Proto-Italic*plāgā
  5. Latinplāga

From Proto-Italic *plāgā, from Proto-Indo-European *pl(e)h₂géh₂, from *pleh₂g-, an extension of *pel- (“to beat, push”). Related to plangō (“to strike”). Cognate with Albanian plojë (“slaughter; bloodletting”) and Ancient Greek πληγή (plēgḗ, “blow, stroke”).

Insular Romance
  • Sardinianpiae
  • Sardinianpiaga
  • Sardinianplaga
  • Sardinianpraga
  • Sardinianprae
  • Sardinianpra
Elsewhere
  • Englishplaguefrom Old French plage
  • Portuguesepragafrom Old Galician-Portuguese praga
  • GermanPlagefrom Middle High German plāge
  • Spanishplaga
  • Albanianplagë
  • Welshplafrom Proto-Brythonic *plaɣ
  • Dutchplaagfrom Middle Dutch plāghe
  • Dutchplagenfrom Old Dutch plāgon
  • Limburgishplaogefrom Old Dutch plāgon
  • Scotsplaguefrom Old French plage
Gallo-Romance
  • Frenchplaiefrom Old French plaie
  • Catalanplaga
  • Occitanplaga
Ibero-Romance
  • Portuguesechagafrom Old Galician-Portuguese chaga
  • Spanishllagafrom Old Spanish llaga
  • Galicianchagafrom Old Galician-Portuguese chaga
  • Ladinoyagafrom Old Spanish llaga
  • Ladinoייאגהfrom Old Spanish llaga
Balkano-Romance
  • Romanianplagă
  • Aromanianpleagã
  • Aromanianplaghe
Italo-Romance
  • Italianpiaga
  • Sicilianchiaga
Rhaeto-Romance
  • Friulianplae
  • Romanshplaja
  • Romanshplaga
  • Romanshplaia
  • Romanshpleja
noun · femininefirst declension
plaga2
plaga f (genitive plagae)
Classical[ˈpɫa.ɡa]Ecclesiastical[ˈplaː.ɡa]

Meaning

  1. femininetract, region, quarter, zone
    Attributed to Ennius by Cicero in De divinatione, Book II, Chapter XIII Quod est ante pedes nemo spectat, caeli scrutantur plagas.What is before the feet, noone regards; the skies are searched in the regions.

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeplagaplagae
genitiveplagaeplagārum
dativeplagaeplagīs
accusativeplagamplagās
ablativeplagāplagīs
vocativeplagaplagae

plăga, ae, f. root πλακ- of Gr. πλακοῦς; cf. planca, plancus, plānus.
A. A region, quarter, tract (mostly poet.; v. Madv. ad Cic. Fin. 2, 4, 12, where de plagis omnibus is the reading of the best MSS., but pagis of the edd.; but cf. Mütz. ad Georg Curtius p. 516 sq.; and Krebs, Antibarb. p. 869; syn.: regio, tractus, terra): aetheria, the ethereal regions, the air, Verg. A. 1, 394: caeli scrutantur plagas, Poët. ap. Cic. Div. 2, 13, 30: et si quem extenta plagarum Quattuor in medio dirimit plaga solis iniqui, zones, Verg. A. 7, 226: ardens, the torrid zone, Sen. Herc. Oet. 67; also called fervida, id ib. 1219: septentrionalis, Plin. 16, 32, 59, § 136: ea plaga caeli, Just. 42, 3, 2: ad orientis plagam, Curt. 4, 37, 16: ad orientalem plagam, on the east, in the eastern quarter, Vulg. Deut. 4, 41: contra orientalem plagam urbis, id. Josue, 4, 19: ad septentrionalem plagam collis, side, id. Judic. 7, 1 et saep.—
B. In partic., a region, district, canton (only in Liv.), Liv. 9, 41, 15.

Origins

Apparently from a Proto-Indo-European *plag-, and cognate with Ancient Greek πλάγος (plágos, “side, flank”), Proto-Germanic *flakaz (“flat, smooth”), though the existence of such a root and its potential relation to Proto-Indo-European *pleh₂- (“flat, broad, plain”) raises formal issues.

Descendants
  • Italianpiaggiafrom Late Latin plagia
  • Frenchplagefrom Late Latin plagia
  • Catalanplatjafrom Late Latin plagia
  • Occitanplajafrom Late Latin plagia
  • Portuguesepraiafrom Late Latin plagia
  • Portugueseprayafrom Late Latin plagia
  • Spanishplayafrom Late Latin plagia
  • Englishplayafrom Late Latin plagia
  • Spanishplashafrom Late Latin plagia
  • Italianplaga
noun · femininefirst declension
plaga3
plaga f (genitive plagae)
Classical[ˈpɫa.ɡa]Ecclesiastical[ˈplaː.ɡa]

Meaning

  1. femininepluralplural onlya hunting net, web, used to set traps, snares
    Near-synonym: tēla
    Sed speculabor, ne quis aut hinc aut ab laeva aut dexterac. 206 BCE, Plautus, Miles Gloriosus 608–609
  2. femininefigurativelypluralplural onlya hunting net, web, used to set traps, snares
    Ipsus illic sese iam impedivit in plagas;[…]c. 206 BCE, Plautus, Miles Gloriosus 4.9.11
  3. femininepluralplural onlybedcurtain, curtain

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeplagaplagae
genitiveplagaeplagārum
dativeplagaeplagīs
accusativeplagamplagās
ablativeplagāplagīs
vocativeplagaplagae

plăga, ae, f. root plek-; Gr. πλέκω, weave, entwine; cf. plecto, plico, du-plex,
I. a hunting-net, snare, gin (class.; syn.: retia, casses).
A. Lit.: canes compellunt in plagas lupum, Plaut. Poen. 3, 3, 35: tendere plagas, Cic. Off. 3, 17, 68: extricata densis Cerva plagis, Hor. C. 3, 5, 32; Ov. M. 7, 768: nodosae, id. F. 6, 110: inque plagam nullo cervus agente cadit (al. plagas), id. A. A. 3, 428: aut trudit ... Apros in obstantes plagas, Hor. Epod. 2, 32.—Of the spider's web: illa difficile cernuntur, atque ut in plagis liniae offensae praecipitant in sinum, Plin. 11, 24, 28, § 82.—Sing. (very rare): sic tu ... tabulam tamquam plagam ponas, Cic. Off. 3, 17, 68.—
B. Trop., a snare, trap, toil (class.; syn. pedica): se impedire in plagas, Plaut. Mil. 4, 9, 11: se in plagas conicere, id. Trin. 2, 1, 11: quas plagas ipsi contra se Stoici texuerunt, Cic. Ac. 2, 48, 147: in illas tibi majores plagas incidendum est, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 58, § 151: Antonium conjeci in Caesaris Octaviani plagas, id. Fam. 12, 25, 4: speculabor, ne quis nostro consilio venator assit cum auritis plagis, i. e. arrectis attentisque auribus, Plaut. Mil. 3, 1, 14.—Sing. (rare) hanc ergo plagam effugi, Cic. Att. 7, 1, 5.—
II. A bedcurtain, a curtain (ante-class.; v. plagula), Varr. ap. Non. 162, 28: eburneis lectis et plagis sigillatis, id. ib. 378, 9: chlamydes, plagae, vela aurea, id. ib. 537, 23.

Origins

From Proto-Indo-European *plek- (“to weave”). Cognate with Ancient Greek πλέκω (plékō, “braid”).

Quick answers

What does plāga mean in Latin?
plāga, a noun, means “plague, misfortune; stroke, blow, cut, strike; wound, gash, injury”.
What is the genitive of plāga?
The genitive singular is plāgae. plāga is feminine, first declension.
How do you pronounce plāga?
In classical Latin, [ˈpɫaː.ɡa]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈplaː.ɡa].
Where does plāga come from?
Proto-Indo-European *pel- → Proto-Indo-European *pleh₂g- → Proto-Indo-European *pl(e)h₂géh₂ → Proto-Italic *plāgā → Latin plāga.