LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinefourth declension

rīsus

rīsus m (genitive rīsūs)
Classical[ˈriː.sʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈriː.s̬us]
Mille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. laughter, laughing
  2. mockery, jest
  3. practical joke, sport
    quasi per rīsum stultus operātur scelus sapientia autem est virō prūdentiaA fool worketh mischief as it were for sport: but wisdom is prudence to a man. (Douay-Rheims trans., Challoner rev.; 1752 CE)c. 347 CE – 420 CE, Hieronymus, Vulgate Proverbs.10.23
  4. smile

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

quod rīdēmus; rīsus in theātrō sonat.
rīsus -ūs m — in Mille Verba, Theātrum

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativerīsusrīsūs
genitiverīsūsrīsuum
dativerīsuīrīsibus
accusativerīsumrīsūs
ablativerīsūrīsibus
vocativerīsusrīsūs

rīsus, ūs, m. id.,
I. a laughing, laughter, laugh (equally freq. in sing. and plur.): risum movere ... quid sit risus, Cic. de Or. 2, 58, 235 sq.; cf. the whole chapter, De risu, Quint. 6, 3: alicui risum magis quam stomachum movere, Cic. Att. 6, 3, 7; cf.: risum judicis movere, Quint. 6, 3, 1: risus populi factus est, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 12, § 27; cf.: risus facere, Cael. ap. Cic. Fam. 8, 9, 1: miros risus nos edere, Cic. Q. Fr. 2, 8 (10), 2; for which: ne spissae risum tollant coronae, Hor. A. P. 381: risus captare, Cic. Tusc. 2, 7, 17; so, risum captare, Quint. 6, 3, 26; 8, 3, 48: mediocris quidam est risus consecutus non in te, sed, etc., Cic. Fam. 5, 2, 2: in eam tabulam magni risus consequebantur, id. Q. Fr. 2, 6, 5: togam sum ejus magno hominum risu cavillatus, id. ib. 2, 10 (12), 2: risu cognoscere matrem, Verg. E. 4, 60: amara lento Temperet risu, Hor. C. 2, 16, 26: proditor Gratus puellae risus, id. ib. 1, 9, 21; id. S. 1, 4, 34: risui sorori fuit, Liv. 6, 34; Just. 1, 4, 12; 44, 2, 4: nimis aegre risum continui, Plaut. As. 3, 2, 36: nequeo risu me admoderarier, id. Mil. 4, 2, 81: risu emoriri, Ter. Eun. 3, 1, 42: risu clandestino rumpier, Afran. ap. Non. 503, 14: unde oriebantur risus dulcesque cachinni, Lucr. 5, 1403: paene ille timore, ego risu corrui, Cic. Q. Fr. 2, 8 (10), 2.—
II. Transf., an object of laughter: deus omnibus risus erat, Ov. F. 1, 438.—
2. A jest, a practical joke, mockery: qui per jocum deos inridens, jussit, etc.... qui risus populo cladem attulit, Cic. N. D. 2, 3, 7.—
3. Personified, as a deity, App. M. 3, p. 134, 12.

Origins

Perfect passive participle of rīdeō (“laugh”).

Descendants
  • Frenchris
  • Italianriso
  • Occitanris
  • Portugueseriso
  • Romanianrâs
  • Sardinianrizu
  • Sardinianrisu
  • Sardinianarrisu
  • Sardinianerrisu
  • Spanishrisa

In English words that came into English from rīsus

  • risiblerīsibilis

Quick answers

What does rīsus mean in Latin?
rīsus, a noun, means “laughter, laughing; mockery, jest; practical joke, sport”.
What is the genitive of rīsus?
The genitive singular is rīsūs. rīsus is masculine, fourth declension.
How do you pronounce rīsus?
In classical Latin, [ˈriː.sʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈriː.s̬us].