LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · neuterthird declension

pondus

pondus n (genitive ponderis)
Classical[ˈpɔn.dʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈpɔn.dus]
№ 636 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. neuterweight
  2. neuterweight of a pound
  3. neuterheaviness, weight of a body
  4. neuterload, burden
  5. neuterquantity, number, multitude
  6. neuterconsequence, importance
  7. neuterfirmness, constancy

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

quam grave quidque est; pondera ex lapide in mēnsā mercātōris.
pondus -eris n — in Mille Verba, Mercātus

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Moles · Onus · Pondus · Gravitas

Moles and onus denote the heaviness of an object in its disadvantageous sense; moles (from μῶλος or μόχλος) absolutely, as unwieldiness, so far as through its greatness it is inconvenient to move, like ὄγκος; onus, relatively to its pressure, so far as it is irksome to the person carrying it, as a burden, φόρτος; whereas pondus (from pendere) in an advantageous sense, as force and strength, like weight, ἄχθος; lastly, gravitas (from γεραός) unites both senses, and sometimes denotes the irksome heaviness, sometimes the effective weightiness, like βάρος. (iv. 223.)

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeponduspondera
genitiveponderisponderum
dativeponderīponderibus
accusativeponduspondera
ablativepondereponderibus
vocativeponduspondera

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

nutus et pondus or simply nutus (ῥοπή)
gravity.

pondus, ĕris, n. pendo,
I. a weight.
I. Lit.
A. In gen., a weight used in a scale, Cic. Tusc. 5, 24, 69: pondera ab Gallis allata iniqua, Liv. 5, 48 fin.: utuntur taleis ferreis ad certum pondus examinatis pro numo, Caes. B. G. 5, 12; Dig. 19, 1, 32: pondera publica, Paul. ex Fest. p. 246 Müll.—
2. In partic., the weight of a pound, a pound (very rare for the usual pondo): dupondius a duobus ponderibus, quod unum pondus assipondium dicebatur. Id ideo, quod as erat libra pondus, Varr. L. L. 5, § 169 Müll.: argenti pondera quinque, Mart. 7, 53, 12.—
B. Transf.
1. In abstr.
a. Heaviness, weight of a body: moveri gravitate et pondere, Cic. Fat. 11, 24; 10, 22; 20, 46; id. Tusc. 1, 17, 40: magni ponderis saxa, Caes. B. G. 2, 29; 7, 22: emere aliquid pondere, by weight, Plin. 12, 7, 14, § 29; 35, 17, 57, § 197; Tac. A. 6, 26; cf.: in his quae pondere constant, Dig. 18, 1, 35 med.; Gai. Inst. 2, 196: id, quod pondere continetur, Dig. 30, 1, 47.—
b. In plur.: pondera, balance, equipoise, equilibrium: pendebat in aëre tellus Ponderibus librata suis, Ov. M. 1, 13; so Luc. 1, 57; cf. Lucr. 2, 218 and 6, 574: trans pondera (corporis) dextram Porrigere (= ultra libramentum sive aequilibrium corporis), out of balance, Hor. Ep. 1, 6, 51; cf. Lachm. ad Lucr. II. p. 380 sq.; cf. also: quis libravit in pondere montes et colles in staterā? Vulg. Isa. 40, 12.—
2. In concr.
a. A heavy body, a weight, mass, load, burden: in terram feruntur omnia suo nutu pondera, Cic. Rep. 6, 17, 17: grande auri pondus, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 17, § 45; so, innumerabile pondus auri, id. Sest. 43, 93: magnum argenti pondus expositum, Caes. B. C. 3, 96: aeris magnum pondus, id. ib. 3, 103; Stat. Th. 6, 648: immania pondera baltei, Verg. A. 10, 496: Spartani pondera disci, Mart. 14, 164, 1.—Poet., of the fruit of the womb, Ov. M. 9, 684; id. Am. 2, 14, 14; Prop. 4, 1, 96 (5, 1, 100); Mart. 14, 151; of the privy parts, Cat. 63, 5; Stat. S. 3, 4, 77.—
b. A quantity, number, multitude (anteclass. and very rare): magnum pondus omnium artificum, Varr. ap. Non. 466, 5.—
II. Trop.
A. Weight, consequence, importance, consideration, influence, authority, etc. (class.; cf. momentum): persona non qualiscumque testimonii pondus habet, Cic. Top. 19, 73: grave ipsius conscientiae pondus est, id. N. D. 3, 35, 85; cf.: (honestas) aut sola expetenda est ... aut certe omni pondere gravior habenda quam reliqua omnia, id. Off. 3, 8, 35: id est maximi momenti et ponderis, id. Vatin. 4, 9: qui pondus habent, id. Att. 11, 6, 1: habet vim in ingenio et pondus in vitā, id. de Or. 2, 74, 302: magnum pondus accessit ad tollendum dubitationem, judicium et consilium tuum, id. Fam. 11, 29, 1: ut is intellegat, hanc meam commendationem magnum apud te pondus habuisse, id. ib. 13, 25; cf.: ut is intellegat meas apud te litteras maximum pondus habuisse, id. Fam. 12, 27; 13, 35, 2: tuae litterae maximi sunt apud me ponderis, id. ib. 2, 19, 2: ejus filius eodem est apud me pondere, quo fuit ille, id. Att. 10, 1. 1.—Of style: omnium verborum ponderibus est utendum, Cic. de Or. 2, 17, 72: fabula sine pondere et arte, Hor. A. P. 320; cf.: nugis addere pondus, id. Ep. 1, 19, 42.—
B. Oppressive weight, burden (poet. for onus): curarum, Luc. 9, 951; Stat. Th. 4, 39: rerum, Ov. Tr. 2, 237; Mart. 6, 64, 14: tauri ruentis In Venerem tolerare pondus, Hor. C. 2, 5, 4: amara senectae Pondera, Ov. M. 9, 438: Constantius, insolentiae pondera gravius librans, Amm. 14, 5, 1.—
C. Weight of character, i. e. firmness, constancy (poet.): nulla diu femina pondus habet, Prop. 2, 25 (3, 20), 22: nostri reverentia ponderis obstat, Stat. Th. 1, 289: hilaris, tamen cum pondere, virtus, id. S. 2, 3, 65; cf. id. ib. 5, 3, 246.

Origins

From Proto-Italic *pondos, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pénd-os, from *(s)pend-. Related to pendō, pendeō.

Italo-Romance
  • Italianpondo
  • Sicilianvunnu
  • Sicilianpunna
Elsewhere
  • Romanianpondere
  • Welshpwnfrom Middle Welsh pwnn
  • Irishpoinnfrom Old Irish pún
  • Irishpuinnfrom Old Irish pún
  • Slovakpondusfrom Old Slovak pondus
  • Proto-Germanic*pundą
Gallo-Italic
  • Old Lombardpondo

In English words that came into English from pondus

  • poundpondō
  • ponderponderāre
  • ponderousponderōsus
  • ponderosaponderosus
  • ponderalponderālis
  • kilopondpondus
  • ponduspondus
  • dupondiusdupondius

Quick answers

What does pondus mean in Latin?
pondus, a noun, means “weight; weight of a pound; heaviness, weight of a body”.
What is the genitive of pondus?
The genitive singular is ponderis. pondus is neuter, third declension.
How do you pronounce pondus?
In classical Latin, [ˈpɔn.dʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈpɔn.dus].
Which English words come from pondus?
English words that go back to Latin pondus include kilopond, pondus, pound, ponder, ponderous and ponderosa.