adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective
rīdiculus
rīdiculus (feminine rīdicula, neuter rīdiculum, superlative rīdiculissimus, adverb rīdiculē)
Classical[riːˈdɪ.kʊ.ɫʊs]Ecclesiastical[riˈdiː.ku.lus]
rīdiculum sg. nom. n.; sg. acc. m.; sg. acc. n.; sg. voc. n.Mille Verba core vocabulary
Meaning
- adjectivelaughable, funny, amusing, humorous
- adjectivelaughable, silly, absurd, ridiculous
CHARĪNUS: Dāve, attamen… DĀVUS: Quid, ergō? / CHARĪNUS: Ut dūcam. DĀVUS: Rīdiculum!
CHARINUS: Davus, but still… DAVUS: What, then? CHARINUS: I want to marry [her]. DAVUS: [That’s] absurd! (In its full context, Charinus wants to marry a woman who is already engaged to another man.)166 BCE, Publius Terentius Afer, Andria 711–712“Fortūnam Priamī cantābō et nōbile bellum.” Quid dignum tantō feret hic prōmissor hiātū?
“I will sing the fate of Priam and the noble war.” [And] what most worthy [poem] will this promising [author] bring forth from such a gaping mouth? Mountains will labor, and a ridiculous mouse will be born. (That is to say, striving beyond one’s meager ability may produce disappointing results.)65 BCE – 8 BCE, Horatius, Epistula ad Pisones or Ars Poetica 137–139
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
quī rīsum movet.rīdiculus -a -um — in Mille Verba, Theātrum
Declension
| form | masculine | feminine | neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | rīdiculus | rīdicula | rīdiculum |
| genitive | rīdiculī | rīdiculae | rīdiculī |
| dative | rīdiculō | rīdiculae | rīdiculō |
| accusative | rīdiculum | rīdiculam | rīdiculum |
| ablative | rīdiculō | rīdiculā | rīdiculō |
| vocative | rīdicule | rīdicula | rīdiculum |
| form | masculine | feminine | neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | rīdiculī | rīdiculae | rīdicula |
| genitive | rīdiculōrum | rīdiculārum | rīdiculōrum |
| dative | rīdiculīs | rīdiculīs | rīdiculīs |
| accusative | rīdiculōs | rīdiculās | rīdicula |
| ablative | rīdiculīs | rīdiculīs | rīdiculīs |
| vocative | rīdiculī | rīdiculae | rīdicula |
Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book
- aliquid ad ridiculum convertere
- to make a joke of a thing.
- (homo) ridiculus (Plaut. Stich. 1. 3. 21)
- a wit; a joker.
rīdĭcŭlus, a, um, adj. rideo,
I. that excites laughter.
I. In a good sense, laughable, droll, funny, amusing, facetious (freq. and class.; syn.: jocularis, jocosus).
A. Adj.:
quamvis ridiculus est, Plaut. Men. 2, 2, 43; cf.: quando adbibero, alludiabo, tum sum ridiculissimus, id. Stich. 2, 2, 58: si ridiculum hominem quaeret quispiam, id. ib. 1, 3, 17: cavillator facie magis quam facetiis ridiculus, Cic. Att. 1, 13, 2: homines, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 46, § 121; id. de Or. 2, 54, 221; Juv. 3, 153: mus, a funny little mouse, Hor. A. P. 139: inest lepos ludusque in hac comoediā: ridicula res est, Plaut. As. prol. 14: ridicula et jocosa res, Cat. 56, 1 and 4: dico unum ridiculum dictum de dictis melioribus . . . nemo ridet, Plaut. Capt. 3, 1, 22; so, dictum, Quint. 6, 3, 6: logos ridiculos vendo, Plaut. Stich. 1, 3, 68: vultus gestusque, Quint. 6, 3, 26 et saep.: ridiculum est, with subject-clause: ridiculum est, te istuc me admonere, Ter. Heaut. 2, 3, 112; so Quint. 6, 3, 94.— Absol.: hui, tam cito? ridiculum! how comical! Ter. And. 3, 1, 16; so id. ib. 4, 2, 29; id. Eun. 3, 1, 62; id. Phorm. 5, 7, 8.— Poet. with inf.: (Porcius) Ridiculus totas simul obsorbere placentas, Hor. S. 2, 8, 24.— B. Substt.
1. rīdĭcŭ-lus, i, m., a jester, buffoon:
Gelasimo nomen mihi indidit parvo pater. Quia inde jam a pauxillo puero ridiculus fui, etc., Plaut. Stich. 1, 3, 21 sq.; so id. ib. 17 and 64; 4, 2, 54; id. Capt. 3, 1, 10; 17; Ter. Eun. 2, 2, 13; Vulg. Hab. 1, 10.—2. rīdĭcŭlum, i, or plur.: rīdĭcŭla, ōrum, n., something laughable, a laughing matter; a jest, joke, etc.: proprium materiae, de quā nunc loquimur, est ridiculum, ideoque haec tota disputatio a Graecis περὶ γελοίου inscribitur, Quint. 6, 3, 22; cf. Cic. de Or. 2, 58, 235 sq. (v. the whole chapter on laughter, when and how it should be excited, etc., Cic. l. l.; and:
de risu, Quint. 6, 3): in jaciendo mittendoque ridiculo genera plura sunt ... illud admonemus, ridiculo sic usurum oratorem, ut, etc., Cic. Or. 26, 87: per ridiculum dicere (opp. severe), id. Off. 1, 37, 134: ridiculi causā (with joco), Plaut. Am. 3, 2, 36: mihi solae ridiculo fuit, I had the joke all to myself, Ter. Eun. 5, 6, 3: quatenus sint ridicula tractanda oratori, perquam diligenter videndum est ... materies omnis ridiculorum est in istis vitiis, quae, etc., Cic. de Or. 2, 58, 237 sq.; Plaut. Stich. 3, 2, 2: saepe etiam sententiose ridicula dicuntur, Cic. de Or. 2, 71, 286: facetum non tantum circa ridicula consistere, Quint. 6, 3, 19: ridicula aut facimus aut dicimus, etc., id. 6, 3, 25.— II. In a bad sense, laughable, silly, absurd, ridiculous (not freq. till after the Aug. per.; cf.
rideo, II. B. 2.): hujus insania, quae ridiaula est aliis, mihi tum molesta sane fuit, etc., Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 66, § 148: ludibria, Lucr. 2, 47: qui ridiculus minus illo (es)? Hor. S. 2, 3, 311: stulta reprehendere facillimum est, nam per se sunt ridicula, Quint. 6, 3, 71; cf. (with stulta), id. 2, 10, 6: poëma (shortly before: inculti versus et male nati), Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 238: pudor, Juv. 11, 55.— Ridiculum est, with subject-clause: est ridiculum, ad ea quae habemus nihil dicere, quaerere, quae habere non possumus, Cic. Arch. 4, 8; so, putare, id. Div. in Caecil. 18, 59: de confessis praecipere, Quint. 5, 13, 7.—Adv.: rīdĭ-cŭlē. a. (Acc. to I.) Laughably, jokingly, humorously:
rogitas, Plaut. Trin. 4, 2, 60; Ter. Hec. 4, 4, 46: non modo acute, sed etiam ridicule ac facete, Cic. de Or. 1, 57, 243; 2, 71, 289; id. Fam. 9, 22, 4; Domit. Mars. ap. Quint. 6, 3, 105: ridicule magis hoc dictum quam vere, Phaedr. 3, 4, 5.— Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
rīdiculus adj.
rideo, exciting laughter, laughable, droll, funny, amusing, facetious : Hui, tam cito? ridiculum! how comical! T.: facie magis quam facetiis: Ridiculum est, te istuc me admonere, T.: Ridiculus totas simul absorbere placentas, H.—As subst n., something laughable, a laughing matter, jest, joke : quae sint genera ridiculi: ridiculo sic usurum oratorem, ut, etc.: Mihi solae ridiculo fuit, I had the fun to myself , T.: materies omnis ridiculorum est in istis vitiis, quae, etc.: sententiose ridicula dicuntur.— Laughable, silly, absurd, ridiculous, contemptible : insania, quae ridicula est aliis, mihi, etc.: qui ridiculus minus illo (es)? H.: mus, H.: pudor, Iu.: est ridiculum, quaerere, etc.—As subst m. : neque ridiculus esse Possum, etc., be a buffoon , T.
Origins
Latin -icus Proto-Indo-European *-lós Proto-Indo-European *-elós Proto-Italic *-elos Latin -ulus Latin rīdiculus From rīdeō (“laugh; mock”) + -icus (“-ish”) + -ulus (diminutive).
Descendants
- Catalanridícul
- Englishridiculous
- Englishridicule
- Frenchridicule
- Germanridikülfrom French ridicule
- Italianridicolo
- Portugueseridículo
- Romanianridicol
- Romanianridicul
- Spanishridículo
In English words that came into English from rīdiculus
- ridiculerīdiculus
- ridiculousrīdiculus