LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · neuterthird declension

praenōmen

praenōmen n (genitive praenōminis)
Classical[prae̯ˈnoː.mɛn]Ecclesiastical[preˈnɔː.men]

Meaning

  1. Ancient Romepraenomen (a first name or given name; particularly the first of the tria nomina (three nouns) borne by free male Roman citizens)
    Quod sine praenomine familiariter ut debebas ad me epistulam misisti primum addubitavi num a Volumnio senatore esset quocum mihi est magnus ususSince you sent me a letter to me without a praenomen, as you ought to have done between friends, I initially doubted whether it was from Volumnius the senator, with whom I have a great deal of acquaintance.62 BCE – 43 BCE, Cicero, Epistulae ad familiares 7.32.1
  2. honorific title
    Praenomen quoque imperatoris cognomenque patris patriae et civicam in vestibulo coronam recusavitHe likewise declined the title imperator, the honorific father of the fatherland, and the civic crown displayed in the vestibule.c. 69 CE – 122 CE, Suetonius, Vita Tiberii 26

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativepraenōmenpraenōmina
genitivepraenōminispraenōminum
dativepraenōminīpraenōminibus
accusativepraenōmenpraenōmina
ablativepraenōminepraenōminibus
vocativepraenōmenpraenōmina

prae-nōmen, ĭnis, n.
I. Lit., the name which stood before the name of the gens, the first name, prœnomen, usually abbreviated; thus, in M. Tullius Cicero, Marcus is the prænomen, as A. = Aulus, C. = Caius, Cn. = Cnaeus, etc.: Quintilius cum filio, cui Marco praenomen erat, Liv. 30, 18, 5: quod sine praenomine familiariter ad me epistulam misisti, Cic. Fam. 7, 32, 1: Quinte, puta, aut Publi (gaudent praenomine molles Auriculae), Hor. S. 2, 5, 32: praenominibus feminas esse appellatas testimonio sunt Caecilia et Tarracia, quae ambae Gaiae solitae sint appellari, pari modo Lucia et Titia, Fest. p. 224 Müll.: pueris non prius, quam togam virilem sumerent, puellis non antequam nuberent, praenomina imponi moris fuisse, Q. Scaev. ap. Auct. Epit. Nom. Rat., Huschke, Jurisp. ante-Just. p. 16 sq.—
II. Transf., in gen., an appellation or title placed before a person's name: praenomen Imperatoris, Suet. Caes. 76; id. Tib. 26; id. Claud. 12.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*per-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*preh₂-
  3. Proto-Indo-European*préh₂i?
  4. Proto-Italic*prai
  5. Proto-Italic*prai-
  6. Latinpraenōmen

Proto-Indo-European *h₁nómn̥ Proto-Italic *nōmn̥ Latin nōmen Latin praenōmen From prae- (“fore-”) + nōmen (“name”).

Descendants
  • Englishpraenomen
  • Frenchprénom
  • Italianprenome

In English words that came into English from praenōmen

  • praenomenpraenōmen

Quick answers

What does praenōmen mean in Latin?
praenōmen, a noun, means “praenomen (a first name or given name; particularly the first of the tria nomina (three nouns) borne by free male Roman citizens); honorific title”.
What is the genitive of praenōmen?
The genitive singular is praenōminis. praenōmen is neuter, third declension.
How do you pronounce praenōmen?
In classical Latin, [prae̯ˈnoː.mɛn]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [preˈnɔː.men].
Where does praenōmen come from?
Proto-Indo-European *per- → Proto-Indo-European *preh₂- → Proto-Indo-European *préh₂i? → Proto-Italic *prai → Proto-Italic *prai- → Latin praenōmen.