LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective

pūrus

pūrus (feminine pūra, neuter pūrum, comparative pūrior, superlative pūrissimus, adverb pūrē or pūriter)
Classical[ˈpuː.rʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈpuː.rus]
Mille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. adjectiveclear, limpid
  2. adjectiveclean; pure

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

quī nihil aliēnī in sē habet; aqua pūra et clāra.
pūrus -a -um — in Mille Verba, Templum Graecum
pure, clean
pūrus — in Seneca, ch. II

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativepūruspūrapūrum
genitivepūrīpūraepūrī
dativepūrōpūraepūrō
accusativepūrumpūrampūrum
ablativepūrōpūrāpūrō
vocativepūrepūrapūrum
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativepūrīpūraepūra
genitivepūrōrumpūrārumpūrōrum
dativepūrīspūrīspūrīs
accusativepūrōspūrāspūra
ablativepūrīspūrīspūrīs
vocativepūrīpūraepūra

Lewis & Short A Latin Dictionary, 1879

pūrus, a, um, adj. Sanscr. root pū, purificare, lustrare; cf.: pŭtus, pŭto; whence also ποινή; Lat. poena,
I. clean, pure, i. e. free from any foreign, esp. from any contaminating admixture (syn.: illimis, liquidus).
I. Lit.
1. Clean, free from dirt or filth, pure, unstained, undefiled: purae aedes, Plaut. Truc. 2, 7, 6: et manibus puris sumite fontis aquam, Tib. 2, 1, 14; Hor. Epod. 17, 49; id. S. 1, 4, 68: vestis, Verg. A. 12, 169: ut quicquid inde haurias, purum liquidumque te haurire sentias, Cic. Caecin. 27, 78: amnis, Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 120: aqua, id. C. 3, 16, 29; cf. id. Ep. 1, 10, 20: fons, Prop. 3 (4), 1, 3. lympha, Sil. 7, 170: amphorae, Hor. Epod. 2, 15: fictilia, Tib. 1, 1, 30: torus, id. 1, 3, 26: purissima mella, Verg. G. 4, 163: aëre purior ignis, Ov. M. 15, 243: hasta, unstained with blood, Stat. Th. 11, 450.—
2. In gen., free or clear from any admixture or obstruction: terra, cleared (from stones, bushes, etc.), Cic. Sen. 17, 59: sol, clear, bright, Hor. C. 3, 29, 45: orbis, Ov. M. 4, 348: caelum, Tib. 4, 1, 10: luna, Hor. C. 2, 5, 19: vesper, id. ib. 3, 19, 26: dies, Claud. Rapt. Pros. 2, 2: aurum, refined, without dross, Plin. 33, 4, 25, § 84; 33, 6, 32, § 99: argentum, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 23, § 52: gemma, Ov. M. 2, 856.—Absol.: pū-rum, i, n., a clear, bright, unclouded sky, Verg. G. 2, 364; Hor. C. 1, 34, 7.—
B. Transf.
1. In gen., plain, natural, naked, unadorned, unwrought, unmixed, unadulterated, unsophisticated: argentum, plain, i. e. unornamented, without figures chased upon it, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 22, § 49; 2, 4, 23, § 52; Plin. Ep. 3, 1, 9; Juv. 9, 141; cf.: coronarum aliae sunt purae, aliae caelatae, Vitr. 7, 3; and: utrum lanx pura an caelata sit, Dig. 6, 1, 6: vasa, not pitched, Col. 12, 4, 4: locus, not built upon, vacant, Varr. L. L. 5, § 38 Müll.; Liv. 24, 14; Dig. 13, 7, 43: humus, Cic. Sen. 15, 59: solum, Liv. 1, 44 fin.: ager, Ov. F. 3, 582: campus, Verg. A. 12, 771: purus ab arboribus campus, Ov. M. 3, 709: hasta, without an iron head, Prop. 4 (5), 3, 68: toga, without purple stripes, Phaedr. 3, 10, 10: esse utramque sibi per se puramque necesse'st, unmixed, Lucr. 1, 506.—
2. Cleansing, purifying: idem ter socios pura circumtulit undā, Verg. A. 6, 229: sulfur, Tib. 1, 5, 11.—
II. Trop.
A. Pure, unspotted, spotless, chaste, undefiled, unpolluted, faultless, etc.: animus omni admixtione corporis liberatus, purus et integer, Cic. Sen. 22, 80: castus animus purusque, id. Div. 1, 53, 121: estne quisquam qui tibi purior esse videatur? id. Rosc. Com. 6, 18: puriora et dilucidiora, id. Tusc. 1, 20, 46: vita et pectore puro, Hor.S. 1,6, 64; id. Ep. 1, 2, 67: pectus purum et firmum, stainless, faultless, Enn. ap. Gell. 7, 17 (Trag. v. 340 Vahl.): familia, that has solemnized the funeral rites, Cic. Leg. 2, 22, 57: gladium purum ab omni caede servare, Sen. Ep. 24, 7: purae a civili sanguine manus, id. Suas. 6, 2: purus sum a peccato, Vulg. Prov. 20, 9: pectus purum ab omni sceleris contagione, Lact. 5, 12, 2.—Of freedom from sensual passion: animam puram conservare, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 58, § 134: noctes, opp. spurcae, Plaut. As. 4, 1, 62; id. Poen. 1, 2, 137; Tib. 1, 3, 26; Mart. 6, 66, 5; 9, 64: corpus, Plin. Ep. 4, 11, 9.—With gen.: integer vitae scelerisque purus, Hor. C. 1, 22, 1.—Of purity of style: oratio Catuli sic pura est, ut Latine loqui paene solus videatur, Cic. de Or. 3, 8, 29; cf.: purum et candidum genus dicendi, id. Or. 16, 53: sermone puro atque dilucido, Quint. 11, 1, 53: sermo quam purissimus, id. 4, 2, 118: multo est tersior ac magis purus (Horatius), id. 10, 1, 94: pura et illustris brevitas, Cic. Brut. 75, 262: pura et incorrupta consuetudo dicendi, id. ib. 75, 261: pressus sermo purusque, Plin. Ep. 7, 9, 8.—
B. In partic., in jurid. lang., unconditional, without exception, absolute; entire, complete: judicium purum, Cic. Inv. 2, 20, 60: pura et directa libertas, Dig. 40, 4, 59: causa, ib. 46, 3, 5.—
C. Clear, complete, over and above: quid possit ad dominos puri ac reliqui provenire, clear gain, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 86, § 200.—
D. Relig. t. t., free from religious claims or consecration: purus autem locus dicitur, qui neque sacer neque sanctus est neque religiosus, sed ab omnibus huiusmodi nominibus vacare videtur, Dig. 11, 7, 2, § 4; cf. ib. § 2: quae tandem est domus ab istā suspicione religionis tam vacua atque pura, Cic. Har. Resp. 6, 11.—
E. Not desecrated, undefiled.
1. Untrodden, fresh: locus, Liv. 25, 17, 3.—
2. Not defiled by a funeral or burial: familia, Cic. Leg. 2, 22, 57.—
3. Free from mourning: dies, Ov. F. 2, 558.—Adv., in two forms, pūrē and (ante-class. and poet.) pūrĭ-ter (sup. † purime, acc. to Paul. ex Fest. p. 252 Müll.), purely, clearly, without spot or mixture.
A. Lit.
(a). Form pure: pure eluere vasa, Plaut. Aul. 2, 3, 3; cf.: pure lautum=aquā purā lavatum, Paul. ex Fest. p. 248 Müll.: lavare, Liv. 5, 22.—
(b). Form puriter: puriter transfundere aquam in alterum dolium, Cato, R. R. 112: puriter lavit dentes, Cat. 39, 14.—
b. Comp., brightly, clearly: splendens Pario marmore purius, Hor. C. 1, 19, 5: purius osculari, Sen. Ben. 2, 12, 2.—
c. Sup.: quam mundissime purissimeque fiat, Cato, R. R. 66.—
B. Trop., purely, chastely; plainly, clearly, simply.
(a). Form pure: si forte pure velle habere dixerit, Plaut. As. 4, 1, 61: quiete et pure et eleganter acta aetas, Cic. Sen. 5, 13: pure et caste deos venerari, id. N. D. 1, 2, 3; Liv. 27, 37; cf.: radix caste pureque collecta, Plin. 22, 10, 12, § 27.—Of style: pure et emendate loqui, Cic. Opt. Gen. 2, 4: pure apparere, clearly, obviously, Hor. S. 1, 2, 100: quid pure tranquillet, perfectly, fully, id. Ep. 1, 18, 102.—
(b). Form puriter: si vitam puriter egi, Cat. 76, 19.—
b. Sup.: Scipio omnium aetatis suae purissime locutus, Gell. 2, 20, 5: purissime atque illustrissime aliquid describere, very distinctly, very clearly, id. 9, 13, 4.—
2. In partic., jurid., unconditionally, simply, absolutely: aliquid legare, Dig. 8, 2, 35: contrahi, ib. 18, 2, 4; 39, 2, 22 fin.; 26, 2, 11; Gai. Inst. 1, 186.

Origins

From Proto-Italic *pūros, from Proto-Indo-European *pewH- (“to cleanse, purify”) (whence also Latin putus, Latin pius).

Elsewhere
  • Italianpuro
  • Frenchpurfrom Old French pur
  • Romanianpurfrom Old French pur
  • Englishpurefrom Old French pur
  • Portuguesepurofrom Old Galician-Portuguese puro
  • Spanishpurofrom Old Spanish puro
  • Englishpurofrom Old Spanish puro
  • Germanpur
  • Emilianpûr
  • Normanpurfrom Old French pur
Old Occitan
  • Catalanpur
  • Occitanpur

Quick answers

What does pūrus mean in Latin?
pūrus, a adjective, means “clear, limpid; clean; pure”.
How do you pronounce pūrus?
In classical Latin, [ˈpuː.rʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈpuː.rus].