noun · femininefirst declension
scudicia
scudicia f (genitive scudiciae)
Meaning
- feminineAn implement used for breaking up the earth at the base of a plant, possibly a type of pickaxe, mattock, hoe, or spade
Scudicia dicta eo, quod circa codicem terram aperiat; et quamvis eius usus in reliquis operibus habeatur, nomen tamen ex codice retinet. hanc alii generaliter fossorium vocant, quasi fovessorium.
1967 translation by K. D. White The scudicia is so called because it opens the earth around the base (of the plant); and although it is used for other operations, it still retains its name from the base (codex). Others commonly call it a trenching tool, as if the word were derived from fovea (a hole).early 7th c. CE, Isidore of Seville, Etymologiae sive Origines 20.14.7
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | scudicia | scudiciae |
| genitive | scudiciae | scudiciārum |
| dative | scudiciae | scudiciīs |
| accusative | scudiciam | scudiciās |
| ablative | scudiciā | scudiciīs |
| vocative | scudicia | scudiciae |
Origins
From excōdicō (“to dig the earth around the base of a vine”), according to White (who argues that the frequently cited alternative proposal of derivation from excūdō (“to beat, hammer out”) is semantically inappropriate). In Isidore's time, the process of vowel prosthesis had led to the conflation in pronunciation of the prefix "ex" with word-initial "s" before a consonant.