noun · neutersecond declension
praecordia
praecordia n pl (genitive praecordiōrum)
Classical[prae̯ˈkɔr.di.a]Ecclesiastical[preˈkɔr.di.a]
Meaning
- neuterpluraldiaphragm; midriff
- neuterpluralentrails
- neuterpluralchest
- figurativelyneuterpluralpoeticthe seat of one's feelings and passions
Sed neque Phlegraeos Iovis Enceladique tumultus Intonet angusto pectore Callimachus, Nec mea conveniunt duro praecordia versu
30 BCE – 16 BCE, Propertius, Elegiae 2.1.39–42
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
pectus, pars circum corpraecordia -ōrum (n pl) — in Metamorphoses I, ch. 3, 13
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | — | praecordia praecordiae |
| genitive | praecordiae | praecordiōrum praecordiārum |
| dative | praecordiae | praecordiīs |
| accusative | praecordiam | praecordia praecordiās |
| ablative | — | praecordiīs |
| vocative | — | praecordia praecordiae |
praecordĭa, ōrum (sing. praecordium, Isid. 10, 102), n. prae - cor.
I. Lit., the muscle which separates the heart and lungs from the abdomen, the midriff, diaphragm: exta homini ab inferiore viscerum parte separantur membrana, quae praecordia appellant, quia cordi praetenditur, quod Graeci appellaverunt φρένας, Plin. 11, 37, 77, § 197:
(Plato) cupiditatem subter praecordia locavit, Cic. Tusc. 1, 10, 20: unius praecordia pressit senis, i. e. stopped his breath, Juv. 6, 621.—II. Transf.
A. The entrails, the stomach (syn.:
viscera, exta, ilia): praecordia vocamus uno nomine exta in homine, Plin. 30, 5, 14, § 42; Cels. 4, 1: ipse anulus in praecordiis piscis inventus est, Cic. Fin. 5, 30, 92: totis praecordiis stertens, M. Cael. ap. Quint. 4, 2, 123; Plin. 26, 7, 19, § 35: quid veneni saevit in praecordiis, Hor. Epod. 3, 5: mulso proluere, id. S. 2, 4, 26.—B. The breast, the heart (mostly poet.):
spiritu remanente in praecordiis, Liv. 42, 16: frigidus coit in praecordia sanguis, Verg. A. 10, 452; Ov. M. 12, 140.—As the seat of the feelings and passions: quondam etiam victis redit in praecordia virtus, Verg. A. 2, 367: meis inaestuat praecordiis Libera bilis, Hor. Epod. 11, 15: verax aperit praecordia Liber, id. S. 1, 4, 89: inquieta, id. Epod. 5, 95: flagrantia, Juv. 13, 102; cf.: tacita sudant praecordia culpa, id. 1, 167: mutare praecordia, i. e. sententiam, Prop. 2, 3, 13 (2, 4, 31): in praecordiis meis de mane vigilabo ad te, Vulg. Isa. 26, 9.—Hence, even, praecordia mentis, the seat of the mind, for the mind, Ov. M. 11, 149.—* C. The body, bodies in gen.:
in terrā ponunt praecordia, Ov. M. 7, 559.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
praecordia ōrum, n
prae+cor, the muscle which parts the chest from the abdomen, midriff, diaphragm : subter praecordia: praecordia pressit senis, i. e. stopped his breath , Iu.— The entrails, stomach : anulus in praecordiis piscis inventus est: quid veneni saevit in praecordiis, H.— The breast, heart : in terrā ponunt praecordia, lay their breasts upon , O.: spiritu remanente in praecordiis, L.: frigidus coit in praecordia sanguis, V.: verax aperit praecordia Liber, H.: tacitā sudant praecordia culpā, Iu.: stolidae mentis, i. e. folly , O.
Origins
From prae- + cor.