LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
proper noun · masculinesecond declension

Pontius

Pontius m sg (genitive Pontiī or Pontī)
Classical[ˈpɔn.ti.ʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈpɔn.t͡si.us]

Meaning

  1. masculinesingulara Roman nomen gentile, gens or "family name", famously held by
  2. masculinesingularPontius Pilatus

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativePontius—
genitivePontiī
Pontī		—
dativePontiō—
accusativePontium—
ablativePontiō—
vocativePontī—

Pontĭus, i, m.,
I. the name of a gens, originally Samnite, afterwards Roman. So,
I. C. Pontius, a leader of the Samnites, who surrounded the Romans in the Caudine Pass, Cic. Off. 2, 21, 75; Liv. 9, 1; Flor. 1, 16, 10.—
II. L. Pontius Aquila, one of the assassins of Cœsar, Cic. Phil. 11, 6, 14; Asin. Poll. ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 33, 4; Suet. Caes. 78. —
III. Pontius Pilatus, governor of Judœa in the time of Christ, Tac. A. 15, 44; Tert. Apol. 21; Lact. 4, 18; Sed. Carm. 5, 116.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*pénkʷe
  2. Proto-Indo-European*penkʷtós
  3. Proto-Italic*kʷenktos
  4. LatinPontius

Oscan *ponto-bor. Latin Pontius Borrowed from Oscan *ponto-, itself from Proto-Italic *kʷenktos. Doublet of Quintus.

Descendants
  • CatalanPonç
  • FrenchPonce
  • ItalianPonzio
  • OccitanPonç
  • RomanianPonțiu

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

Biography & mythologyPontiusPontius. a deacon of the African Church, the tried friend and constant companion of Cyprian. Works De Vita et Passione S. Cypriani He drew up a narrat…

Quick answers

What does Pontius mean in Latin?
Pontius, a proper noun, means “a Roman nomen gentile, gens or "family name", famously held by”.
What is the genitive of Pontius?
The genitive singular is Pontiī. Pontius is masculine, second declension.
How do you pronounce Pontius?
In classical Latin, [ˈpɔn.ti.ʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈpɔn.t͡si.us].
Where does Pontius come from?
Proto-Indo-European *pénkʷe → Proto-Indo-European *penkʷtós → Proto-Italic *kʷenktos → Latin Pontius.