LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinesecond declension

plinthus

plinthus m or f (genitive plinthī)
Classical[ˈplɪn.tʰʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈplin.tus]

Meaning

  1. femininemasculineplinth
  2. femininemasculinea hundred-acre plot of land

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeplinthusplinthī
genitiveplinthīplinthōrum
dativeplinthōplinthīs
accusativeplinthumplinthōs
ablativeplinthōplinthīs
vocativeplintheplinthī

plinthus (-os), i, m. and f., = πλίνθος (a tile).
I. In archit., the large flat member under the inferior moulding of a column, the base, plinth, Vitr. 3, 3; 4, 7, 3.—
II. In land-surveying, a tile-shaped figure, containing a hundred acres of land: quae centuriae nunc appellantur plinthi, id est laterculi, Hyg. Condit. Agror. p. 205 Goes.

Origins

From Ancient Greek πλίνθος (plínthos, “brick”); possibly from earlier Pre-Greek.

Descendants
  • Italianplinto
  • Frenchplinthefrom Middle French plinte
  • Englishplinthfrom Middle French plinte
  • Portugueseplinto
  • Spanishplinto
  • Dutchplintfrom Middle French plinte
  • Ukrainianплі́нтусfrom Russian пли́нтус

In English words that came into English from plinthus

  • plinthplinthus

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

AntiquitiesPlinthusPlinthus (πλίνθος), a brick or tile [LATER], or a squared stone for building; so of the marble blocks for the walls of the Erechtheum (C. I. G. 160, 5…

Quick answers

What does plinthus mean in Latin?
plinthus, a noun, means “plinth; a hundred-acre plot of land”.
What is the genitive of plinthus?
The genitive singular is plinthī. plinthus is masculine, second declension.
How do you pronounce plinthus?
In classical Latin, [ˈplɪn.tʰʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈplin.tus].