adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective
scaevus
scaevus (feminine scaeva, neuter scaevum)
Classical[ˈskae̯.wʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈʃɛː.vus]
Meaning
- adjectiveleft; on the left side
- adjectivefigurativelyclumsy
- adjectiveunlucky
- adjectivepowerfully influenced by luck (fortuna), for good or bad
Declension
| form | masculine | feminine | neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | scaevus | scaeva | scaevum |
| genitive | scaevī | scaevae | scaevī |
| dative | scaevō | scaevae | scaevō |
| accusative | scaevum | scaevam | scaevum |
| ablative | scaevō | scaevā | scaevō |
| vocative | scaeve | scaeva | scaevum |
| form | masculine | feminine | neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | scaevī | scaevae | scaeva |
| genitive | scaevōrum | scaevārum | scaevōrum |
| dative | scaevīs | scaevīs | scaevīs |
| accusative | scaevōs | scaevās | scaeva |
| ablative | scaevīs | scaevīs | scaevīs |
| vocative | scaevī | scaevae | scaeva |
scaevus, a, um, adj. kindred with Sanscr. savya, laevus, sinister, as the Gr. σκαιός and the Germ. schief, oblique,
I. left, that is on the left, towards the left side (rare; most freq. in Appul.; syn. laevus, sinister).
I. Lit.:
itinera portarum, i. e. running from right to left, Vitr. 1, 5, 2: iter, Serv. Verg. A. 3, 351.—II. Trop.
A. Awkward, perverse, stupid, silly:
scaevus profecto et caecus animi forem, si, etc., Gell. 12, 13, 4: mulier, App. M. 9, p. 223, 22: scaevus iste Romulus, Sall. H. Fragm. 1, 41, 5 Dietsch: fabula, Paul. Nol. Carm. 11, 44.— B. Of fortune, unfavorable, untoward, unlucky: fortunam scaevam an saevam verius dixerim, App. M. 2, p. 120, 21:
praesagium, id. ib. 10, p. 247; 7, p. 194, 39.—Sup.: scaevissimum somnium, App. M. 4, p. 154, 23.—Hence, subst.: scaeva, ae, f., a sign or token in the sky (observed by a Roman on his left; v. laevus), an omen: bonae scaevae causă...Ea dicta ab scaevā id est sinistră, quod quae sinistra sunt, bona auspicia existimantur...a Graeco est, quod hi sinistram vocant σκαιάν, Varr. L. L. 7, § 97 Müll.; cf. Fest. p. 325 ib.: bona scaeva est mihi, Plaut. Ps. 4, 7, 39; so, bona, id. Stich. 5, 2, 24: canina scaeva, taken from the barking of a dog, id. Cas. 5, 4, 4.Origins
From Proto-Italic *skaiwos, from Proto-Indo-European *skeh₂iwos. Cognates include Ancient Greek σκαιός (skaiós, “rude; brusque”).