LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinethird declension

pūgiō

pūgiō m (genitive pūgiōnis)
Classical[ˈpuː.ɡi.oː]Ecclesiastical[ˈpuː.d͡ʒi.o]

Meaning

  1. a dagger
    multōs in moenia ēgressōs pūgiōnibus fodere.Many, who had struggled on to the walls, with their daggers they stabbed.c. 100 CE – 110 CE, Tacitus, Historiae 4.29
    Pūgio, quem curvā signat brevis orbita vēnā,86 CE – 103 CE, Martialis, Epigrammata 14.33

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Gladius · Ensis · Pugio · Sica

1. Gladius (from κλάδος) is the usual, ensis (from ansa?) the select and poetical name for a sword. Quintil. x. 1, 11. (v. 188.) 2. Pugio (from pungere) is a dagger, as a fair and openly used soldier’s weapon, on a level with the sword; whereas sica (from secare) is the unfair and secret weapon of the bandit, on a level with poison. (vi. 291.)

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativepūgiōpūgiōnēs
genitivepūgiōnispūgiōnum
dativepūgiōnīpūgiōnibus
accusativepūgiōnempūgiōnēs
ablativepūgiōnepūgiōnibus
vocativepūgiōpūgiōnēs

pŭgĭo, ōnis, m. root pug of pungo; cf.: pugil, pugna.
I. A short weapon for stabbing, a dagger, dirk, poniard: pugio dictus est, quod eo punctim pugnatur, Paul. ex Fest. p. 235 Müll.: Caesare interfecto statim cruentum alte extollens M. Brutus pugionem, etc., Cic. Phil. 2, 12, 28: cruentum pugionem tenens, id. ib. 2, 12, 30: pugione percussus, Sulp. ap. Cic. Fam. 4, 12, 2: fodere aliquem pugione, Tac. H. 4, 29 fin.: pugione ferire, Auct. B. Alex. 52: strictis pugionibus peti, Suet. Caes. 82.—Worn by the emperors, to denote their power of life and death, Suet. Galb. 11; id. Vit. 15 fin.; Tac. H. 3, 68; likewise by the praefectus praetorio, Aur. Vict. Caes. 13; Lampr. Comm. 6 fin.—Worn by the chief officers in the army as a military badge of distinction, Tac. H. 1, 43; Val. Max. 3, 5, 3.—
B. Transf., the title of a book or roll of the names of persons proscribed by Caligula, Suet. Calig. 49.—*
II. Trop.: o plumbeum pugionem! O leaden dagger! i. e. O weak argument! Cic. Fin. 4, 18, 48.

Origins

From Proto-Indo-European *pewǵ-, like pugnus (“fist”) and pungō (“to prick, puncture”). Cognates include Ancient Greek πυγμή (pugmḗ, “fist”).

Descendants
  • Englishpugio
  • Italianpugio
  • Italianpugione
  • Hebrewפגיון

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

AntiquitiesPugioPugio (μάχαιρα, dim. μαχαίριον; ἐγχειρίδιον), a dagger; a two-edged knife, commonly of bronze, with the handle in many cases variously ornamented or e…

Quick answers

What does pūgiō mean in Latin?
pūgiō, a noun, means “a dagger”.
What is the genitive of pūgiō?
The genitive singular is pūgiōnis. pūgiō is masculine, third declension.
How do you pronounce pūgiō?
In classical Latin, [ˈpuː.ɡi.oː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈpuː.d͡ʒi.o].