LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinefourth declension

rictus

rictus m (genitive rictūs)
Classical[ˈrɪk.tʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈrik.tus]

Meaning

  1. masculinethe gaping of a mouth, as when laughing or yawning; (of animals) gaping jaws
    […] in lapidem rictus serpentis apertos[…] he hardens the snake's gaping jaws into stone and freezes its mouth, wide open, as it was.8 CE, Ovidius, Metamorphoses 11.59–60

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativerictusrictūs
ricta
genitiverictūs
rictī		rictuum
rictōrum
dativerictuī
rictō		rictibus
rictīs
accusativerictumrictūs
ricta
ablativerictū
rictō		rictibus
rictīs
vocativerictusrictūs
ricta

rictus, ūs, m. (collat, form rictum, i, n., Lucr. 6, 1195; Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 43, § 94; plur. ricta, Lucr. 5, 1064; cf. Non. 221, 18 sq.) [ringor],
I. the aperture of the mouth, the mouth wide open (esp. for laughing; class.; cf. hiatus): rictus parvissimus, Varr. ap. Non. 456, 9; Lucil. Titin. and Pompon. ib.; Lucr. 6, 1195; Cic. l. l.; Quint. 1, 11, 9; Suet. Claud. 30; Flor. 3, 11 fin.; Hor. S. 1, 10, 7; Juv. 10, 230 al.—Plur., Ov. A. A. 3, 283; id. M. 11, 126.—Of animals, gaping, distended jaws, Ov. M. 1, 741; 2, 481; Juv. 10, 272.— Plur., Lucr. 5, 1064; Ov. M. 3, 674; 4, 97; 6, 378; 11, 59; 14, 65 et saep.—
2. Poet., transf., the opening of the eyes, Luc. 6, 757 Cort.; Sen. Herc. Oet. 1168; 1276.

Origins

Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Italic *-tus Latin -tus Latin rictus From ringor (“to gape, show one's teeth, snarl; to be vexed”) + -tus (action noun forming suffix).

Descendants
  • Englishrictus
  • Frenchrictus
  • Portuguesericto
  • Spanishrictus

Quick answers

What does rictus mean in Latin?
rictus, a noun, means “the gaping of a mouth, as when laughing or yawning; (of animals) gaping jaws”.
What is the genitive of rictus?
The genitive singular is rictūs. rictus is masculine, fourth declension.
How do you pronounce rictus?
In classical Latin, [ˈrɪk.tʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈrik.tus].