What does pulvīnus mean in Latin?

pulvīnus, a noun, means “a cushion, pillow, bolster to sit or lie upon; a seat of honor”.

What is the genitive of pulvīnus?

The genitive singular is pulvīnī. pulvīnus is masculine, second declension.

How do you pronounce pulvīnus?

In classical Latin, [pʊɫˈwiː.nʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [pulˈviː.nus].

Which English words come from pulvīnus?

English words that go back to Latin pulvīnus include pillow, pulvinus, pulvino, pulvillus, pulvinar and pulvinate.

noun · masculinesecond declension

pulvīnus

pulvīnus m (genitive pulvīnī)

Classical[pʊɫˈwiː.nʊs]Ecclesiastical[pulˈviː.nus]

Meaning

a cushion, pillow, bolster to sit or lie upon
Asside hic, pater. ― Non sedeo istic, vos sedete; ego sedero in subsellio. ― Mane pulvinum. ― Bene procuras. Mihi satis sic fultumst.c. 200 BCE, Plautus, Stichus 1.2.35–37
Tum Crassum ‘immo vero commodius etiam’; pulvinosque poposcisse et omnis in eis sedibus, quae erant sub platano, consedisse dicebat.55 BCE, Cicero, De oratore 1.29
figurativelya seat of honor
Si nihilo minus vigilat, quidam somnum moliuntur potui dando aquam, in qua papaver aut hyoscyamos decocta sit, alii mandragorae mala pulvino subiciunt, alii vel amomum vel sycamini lacrimam fronti inducunt.c. 25 BCE – c. 50 CE, Aulus Cornelius Celsus, De medicina 3.18.12
Minus honorato loco positus irasci coepisti convivatori, vocatori, ipsi qui tibi praeferebatur: demens, quid interest quam lecti premas partem? honestiorem te aut turpiorem potest facere pulvinus?c. 4 BCE – 65 CE, Seneca Minor, De ira 3.37.4
an elevated piece of arable land, a raised bed or border, bank
Violaria in fundo facere non est utile, ideo quod necesse est terra adruenda pulvinos fieri, quos inrigationes et pluviae tempestates abluunt et agrum faciunt macriorem.116 BCE – 27 BCE, Marcus Terentius Varro, Rerum rusticarum 1.35.1
Habet enim velut alium plures cohaerentis spicas, eaeque cum sint divisae, liratim seri debent, ut in pulvinis positae minus infestentur hiemis aquis.4 CE – c. 70 CE, Columella, De re rustica 11.3.20
a support of bricks, to cover the joint between the walls and floor of a barn
Tum deinde cum exaruit, simili modo pavimenta testacea, quae pro aqua receperint amurcam mixta calci et arenae, supersternuntur, et magna vi paviculis inculcantur atque expoliuntur, omnesque parietum et soli iuncturae testaceis pulvinis fibulantur.4 CE – c. 70 CE, Columella, De re rustica 1.6.13
a structure of stone inside water, upon which to erect a pillar
Sin autem propter fluctus aut impetus aperti pelagi destinae arcas non potuerint continere, tunc ab ipsa terra sive crepidine pulvinus quam firmissime struatur, isque pulvinus exaequata struatur planitia minus quam dimidiae partis, reliquum quod est proxime litus, proclinatum latus habeat.c. 15 BCE, Vitruvius, De architectura 5.12.3
a sandbank
Dorso iniquo dorsum est durior harena, quae remeantibus fluctibus et euntibus plerumque densetur et in modum saxi durescit, quod a nautis pulvinus vocatur,[…]c. 4th-5th century, Servius Honoratus, In Vergilii Aeneidem commentarii 10.303
a projecting part of a catapult
Supra minorem columnam chelonium, sive pulvinus dicitur, foraminum II s⟨emissisque⟩, altitudinis II s⟨emissisque⟩, latitudinis.c. 15 BCE, Vitruvius, De architectura 10.5

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

mollis rēs suprā quam caput pōnitur

pulvīnus -ī (m) — in Evangelium secundum Marcum, ch. 7

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Culcita · Pulvinus · Pulvinar

Culcita (from calcare?) is a hard-stuffed pillow; pulvinus and pulvinar, a soft elastic pillow; pulvinus, such as is used on ordinary civil occasions; pulvinar, such as is used on solemn religious occasions. (vi. 89.)

Declension

declension
form	singular	plural
nominative	pulvīnus pulvīllus	pulvīnī pulvīllī
genitive	pulvīnī pulvīllī	pulvīnōrum pulvīllōrum
dative	pulvīnō pulvīllō	pulvīnīs pulvīllīs
accusative	pulvīnum pulvīllum	pulvīnōs pulvīllōs
ablative	pulvīnō pulvīllō	pulvīnīs pulvīllīs
vocative	pulvīne pulvīlle	pulvīnī pulvīllī

pulvīnus, i, m., prop.

I. an elevation.

I. A cushion, bolster, squab, pillow to sit or lie upon: mane pulvinum, Plaut. Stich. 1, 2, 38: Crassum pulvinus poposcisse, Cic. de Or. 1, 7, 29; Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 11, § 27; id. Fam. 9, 18, 4: epistula super caput in pulvino posita, Sall. J. 71, 4: epistulam pulvino subicere, Curt. 3, 6, 7; Nep. Pelop. 3, 2.—

B. Transf., a seat of honor: honestiorem te aut turpiorem potest facere pulvinus? Sen. Ira, 3, 37, 4; Cels. 3, 18; Sen. Cons. ad Marc. 16, 2; Suet. Tib. 73; id. Calig. 12; Mart. 3, 82, 7; Juv. 3, 154.—

II. An elevation in the fields, a raised border, ridge, bank, bed, Varr. R. R. 1, 35, 1; Col. 11, 3, 20; Plin. 17, 21, 35, § 159; 19, 4, 20, § 60; 22, 22, 34, § 76; Pall. 3, 24, 13; Plin. Ep. 5, 6, 16.—

III. A bolstering or surbase of brick, to cover the joint between the walls and floor of a barn, Col. 1, 6, 13.—

IV. A sand-bank in the sea, Serv. Verg. A. 10, 302.—

V. A structure of stone in the water, upon which to erect a pillar, Vitr. 5, 12, 3.—

VI. A projecting part of a catapult, the pillow, bolster, Vitr. 10, 15.

Origins

From the nominalization of earlier *polwiznos, with compensatory lengthening; by surface analysis, pulvis (“dust, powder”, oblique stem pulver-) + -nus (adjective-forming suffix), for the filler of a pillow.

Elsewhere

Italianpulvino
Englishpulvinofrom Italian pulvino
Englishpulvinus
Proto-West Germanic*pulwī

Old Leonese

Asturianpovin

In English words that came into English from pulvīnus

pillowpulvīnus
pulvinarpulvīnar
pulvinuspulvīnus
pulvinopulvīnus
pulvilluspulvillus
pulvinatepulvinatus

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

AntiquitiesPulvinusPulvinus (also pulvinar, culcita, προσκεφάλαιον), a cushion, used for beds, couches, and litters, whether a cervical, to support the head in beds, or …