LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinesecond declension

squalus1

squalus m (genitive squalī)
Classical[ˈskʷa.ɫʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈskʷaː.lus]

Meaning

  1. masculinea kind of large sea fish, thought to be a shark

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativesqualussqualī
genitivesqualīsqualōrum
dativesqualōsqualīs
accusativesqualumsqualōs
ablativesqualōsqualīs
vocativesqualesqualī

squălus, i, m.,
I. a kind of sea-fish, Varr. R. R. 3, 3, 9 Schneid. N. cr.; Plin. 9, 24, 40, § 78; 9, 51, 74, § 162; Ov. Hal. 123.

Origins

Uncertain. * Perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kʷálos (“sheatfish”), cognate with Ancient Greek ἄσπαλος (áspalos), Avestan 𐬐𐬀𐬭𐬀 (kara, “kind of fish”), Old Prussian kalis, and Old English hwæl (“whale”); more information at whale. * De Vaan suggests that it might be related to Latin squāma (“scale”). De Vaan proposes that the term came to refer to a species of fish based on its scales. If this theory is accepted, the term must be pronounced as squālus.

Descendants
  • Catalanesqual
  • Frenchsquale
  • Italiansqualo
  • Portugueseesqualo
  • Portugueseescalo
  • Portugueseescalho
  • Portugueseescalheiro
  • Romanianscal
  • Spanishescualo
  • Asturianescualu
adjective
squālus2
squālus
Classical[ˈskʷaː.ɫʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈskʷaː.lus]

Meaning

  1. unkempt, dirty

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativesquālussquālasquālum
genitivesquālīsquālaesquālī
dativesquālōsquālaesquālō
accusativesquālumsquālamsquālum
ablativesquālōsquālāsquālō
vocativesquālesquālasquālum
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativesquālīsquālaesquāla
genitivesquālōrumsquālārumsquālōrum
dativesquālīssquālīssquālīs
accusativesquālōssquālāssquāla
ablativesquālīssquālīssquālīs
vocativesquālīsquālaesquāla

squālus, a, um, adj. squales,
I. dirty, filthy, squalid, = squalidus: lavere lacrimis vestem squalam et sordidam, Enn. ap. Non. 172, 20 (Trag. v. 370 Vahl.).

Origins

Possibly related to squāma (“scale”), of unknown origin. In the sense of dirty, unkempt, this word has traditionally been associated with the cognates listed at cālīgō (“darkness, mist”), although these associations are tenuous.

Quick answers

What does squalus mean in Latin?
squalus, a noun, means “a kind of large sea fish, thought to be a shark”.
What is the genitive of squalus?
The genitive singular is squalī. squalus is masculine, second declension.
How do you pronounce squalus?
In classical Latin, [ˈskʷa.ɫʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈskʷaː.lus].