noun · neutersecond declension
salapūtium
salapūtium n (genitive salapūtiī or salapūtī)
Meaning
- The meaning of this term is uncertain. See usage notes.
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | salapūtium | salapūtia |
| genitive | salapūtiī salapūtī | salapūtiōrum |
| dative | salapūtiō | salapūtiīs |
| accusative | salapūtium | salapūtia |
| ablative | salapūtiō | salapūtiīs |
| vocative | salapūtium | salapūtia |
sălăpūtĭum, ii, n., a humorous appellation for
I. a little, tiny man, a manikin, Liliputian:
di magni, salaputium disertum! Cat. 53, 5; cf. Sen. Contr. 3, 19 med.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
salapūtium ī, n
(a humorous appellation), a little man, manikin, Liliputian, Ct.
Origins
Borrowed from Oscan; the breakdown of this otherwise unattested Oscan word would be *sal- (“salt”) + *pū- (“to purify”) + *-t- (root noun suffix for laryngeal-final roots) + *-iom (abstract suffix). The compound is a metaphor for how refined one's own wit ("salt") may be. The -a- between the first two elements is regular in Oscan to break up word-medial consonant clusters.