LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinesecond declension

ricinus

ricinus m (genitive ricinī)
Classical[ˈrɪ.kɪ.nʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈriː.t͡ʃi.nus]

Meaning

  1. masculinetick (arachnid)
  2. masculinecastor oil plant, Ricinus (and its seeds)
  3. masculinemulberry seeds

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativericinusricinī
genitivericinīricinōrum
dativericinōricinīs
accusativericinumricinōs
ablativericinōricinīs
vocativericinericinī

rīcīnus, a, um, adj. id.,
I. veiled: mitra, Varr. ap. Non. 539, 26.
rĭcĭnus, i, m.
I. A large kind of vermin that infests sheep, dogs, etc., a tick, tike, Cato, R. R. 96, 2; Varr. R. R. 2, 9, 14; Col. 7, 13, 1; 6, 2, 6; Plin. 22, 18, 21, § 47; Petr. 57; Ser. Samm. 36, 699.—
II. A plant, called also cici and croton, Plin. 15, 7, 7, § 25.—
III. The germ of the mulberry: ricino Graeci vocant, Plin. 23, 7, 71, § 137.

Origins

Unknown; possibly a substrate word. Compare Albanian ergjëz (“nit”), Lithuanian érkė (“tick”), Latvian ērce (“tick”), Proto-Slavic *ràkъ (“crayfish”), Sanskrit लिक्षा (likṣā, “nit”) and Persian رشک (rešk, “nit”), which cannot all be derived regularly from the same Proto-Indo-European source. A pre-form *HreK-(e)r ~ *Hrek-en- is possible for the Latin assuming post-PIE thematicization, but the root would remain unidentified.

Quick answers

What does ricinus mean in Latin?
ricinus, a noun, means “tick (arachnid); castor oil plant, Ricinus (and its seeds); mulberry seeds”.
What is the genitive of ricinus?
The genitive singular is ricinī. ricinus is masculine, second declension.
How do you pronounce ricinus?
In classical Latin, [ˈrɪ.kɪ.nʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈriː.t͡ʃi.nus].