noun · neutersecond declension
sāmentum
sāmentum n (genitive sāmentī)
Classical[saːˈmɛn.tũː]Ecclesiastical[saˈmɛn.tum]
Meaning
- dialectalA kind of cap made of hide used by the flamen
Deinde in porta, quom exiimus, ibi scriptum erat bifariam sic: Flamen sume samentum. Rogavi aliquem ex popularibus quid illud verbum esset? Ait lingua Hernica pelliculam de hostia, quam in apicem suum flamen quom in urbem introeat imponit.
Then, on the gate, as we left, there were two inscriptions reading, "Priest, don the fell!" I asked one of the locals what the word meant. He confirmed it to be a Hernican word for a pelt of the skin of an enemey, which the priest placed on the peak of his hat when he entered into the city.Marcus Cornelius Fronto, Correspondence 150
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | sāmentum | sāmenta |
| genitive | sāmentī | sāmentōrum |
| dative | sāmentō | sāmentīs |
| accusative | sāmentum | sāmenta |
| ablative | sāmentō | sāmentīs |
| vocative | sāmentum | sāmenta |
Origins
Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *seh₂k- (“to sanctify, to make a treaty”). Compare Latin sanciō and sacer. Fronto records the term as belonging to the Hernican language, which was the language of the Hernici people. It is possible that this term is an obscure dialectal term that survived amongst the Hernici following their conquest by and assimilation into the Romans.