noun · neutersecond declension
screa
screa n pl (genitive screōrum)
Classical[ˈskre.a]Ecclesiastical[ˈskrɛː.a]
Meaning
- neuterpluralsputum, spittle spat out from one's mouth by hawking
Near-synonym: spūtum
Scraptae dicebantur nugatoriae, ac despiciendae mulieres, ut ait unus†, ab his† quae screa iidem appelabant, id est quae quis excreare solet, quatenus id faciendo se purgaret.
[2nd century CE, Sextus Pompeius Festus, edited by Karl Otfried Müller, De Significatione Verborum, published 1839, page 333, lines 29-33; epitomized by Paul the Deacon, 8th c.:
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | — | screa |
| genitive | — | screōrum |
| dative | — | screīs |
| accusative | — | screa |
| ablative | — | screīs |
| vocative | — | screa |
Origins
Unclear, related to screō (“to hawk”).