LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininefirst declension

stēlla1

stēlla f (genitive stēllae)
Classical[ˈsteːl.la]Ecclesiastical[ˈstɛl.la]
№ 934 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. a star; (poetic) a constellation
    Quis vetat et stēllās, ut quaeque oriturque caditque, dīcere?And who forbids me to speak about the stars, how each one rises and sets?8 CE, Ovidius, Fasti 1.295–296
  2. a wandering star, a planet
  3. a meteor, a shooting star
  4. a star shape, a figure of a star
  5. a bright point on a precious stone
  6. a starfish
  7. a glowworm
  8. a pupil of an eye

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

parva lūx caelī nocturnī; mīlia stēllārum.
stēlla -ae f — in Mille Verba, Caelum et Tempestātēs

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Stella · Astrum · Sidus

Stella (dimin. of ἀστήρ) means any one of the innumerable individual stars, like ἀστήρ; astrum (ἄστρον), any one of the greater bright heavenly bodies, the sun, moon, and principal stars, with their peculiar names, like ἄστρον; sidus (εἶδος), a complication of stars, a constellation, and, by affinity of the notion with number and magnitude, a great star, like τέρας, τείρεα. Astrum and stella denote the stars more in a mere physical relation, as bright heavenly bodies; sidus, more in an astronomical and astrological relation, as portentous and influencing human affairs. Sen. Helv. 9. Dum ortus siderum, occasus intervallaque, et causas investigare velocius meandi vel tardius spectare tot per noctem stellas micantes liceat. (iv. 409.)

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativestēllastēllae
stēlae
genitivestēllae
stēlae		stēllārum
stēlārum
dativestēllae
stēlae		stēllīs
stēlīs
accusativestēllam
stēlam		stēllās
stēlās
ablativestēllāstēllīs
stēlīs
vocativestēllastēllae
stēlae

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

stellae errantes, vagae
the planets.
motus stellarum constantes et rati
the regular courses of the stars.
stellae inerrantes (N. D. 2. 21. 54)
the fixed stars.

stella, ae, f. for sterula; cf. Sanscr. staras; cf. Gr. ἀστήρ; Germ. Stern; Engl. star; perh. root ster- of sterno; Gr. στορέννυμι.
I. Lit., a star (whereas sidus denotes a group of stars, a constellation; v. sidus; cf. also astrum): ignes, quae sidera et stellas vocatis, Cic. Rep. 6, 15, 15: sunt stellae naturā flammeae, id. N. D. 2, 46, 118: o magna templa caelitum commixta stellis splendidis Enn. ap. Varr. L. L. 7, § 6 Müll. (Trag. v. 227 Vahl.); cf.: caelum stellis fulgentibus aptum, id. ap. Macr. S. 6, 1 (Ann. v. 30 Vahl.); Lucr. 6, 357: stellae in radiis solis (non cernuntur), Cic. Fin. 5, 24, 71: maxime sunt admirabiles motus earum quinque stellarum, quae falso vocantur errantes, i. e. planets, id. N. D. 2, 20, 51; so, errantes, id. Rep. 1, 14, 22; id. Tusc. 1, 25, 62; id. N. D. 1, 13, 34 (but cf. inerrantes, fixed stars, id. ib. 3, 20, 51): stella comans, i. e. a comet, Ov. M. 15, 749; cf. id. ib. 15, 850: dum caelum stellas vehat, Tib. 1, 4, 66: simul alba nautis Stella refulsit, Hor. C. 1, 12, 28: jam stellarum sublime coëgerat agmen Lucifer, Ov. M. 11, 97: usque ad diurnam stellam, Lucifer, i. e. till daybreak, Plaut. Men. 1, 2, 64.—Prov., of an impossibility: Terra feret stellas, Ov. Tr. 1, 8, 3.—Poet., sometimes for sidus, a constellation: Saturni, Verg. G. 1, 336: Coronae, id. ib. 1, 222: vesani Leonis, Hor. C. 3, 29, 19: Icarii stella proterva canis, Ov. Am. 2, 16, 4: stella miluus, id. F. 3, 793; 5, 112.—Of the sun: stella serena, Ov. F. 6, 718.—
B. Esp., a meteor, shooting-star: saepe stellas videbis Praecipites caelo labi, Verg. G. 1, 365: de caelo lapsa per umbras Stella, id. A. 2, 694; Lucr. 2, 208: discursus stellarum, Plin. 2, 36, 36, § 100; cf.: discurrere eae (stellae) videntur, id. 18, 35, 80, § 351: videmus ergo stellarum longos a tergo albescere tractus. Hae velut stellae exsiliunt, etc., Sen. Q. N. 1, 14, 2 sq.—
II. Transf., of things resembling a star.
A. A figure of a star: vitis in stellam dividatur ... refert jugum in stellam decussari, etc., Col. 4, 17, 4 sq.; 4, 26, 3; cf. id. 3, 13, 13: Plin. 18, 10, 23, § 97: chlamys distincta aureis stellis, Suet. Ner. 25.—
B. A bright point on a precious stone, Plin. 37, 7, 25, § 96; 37, 9, 51, § 134; 37, 10, 67, § 182.—
C. A starfish, Plin. 9, 60, 86, § 183; 32, 11, 53, § 151: marina, Veg. Vet. 4 (6), 12, 3.—
D. A glowworm, Plin. 18, 27, 67, § 251.—*
E. The pupil of the eye, Claud. Idyll. 1, 36.

Origins

From Proto-Italic *stērlā, diminutive of Proto-Indo-European *h₂stḗr.

Elsewhere
  • Englishstella
  • EnglishStella
  • GermanStella
  • Occitanestelafrom Old Occitan stella
  • Occitanestialafrom Old Occitan stella
  • OccitanEstelafrom Old Occitan stella
  • FrenchEstellefrom Old Occitan stella
  • SpanishEstela
  • DanishStella
  • DutchStella
Italo-Dalmatian
  • Italianstella
  • Sardinianistellafrom Italian stella
  • Sardinianstellafrom Italian stella
  • Galluresesteddafrom Corsican stella
  • Gallureseistellafrom Corsican stella
  • Galluresestellafrom Corsican stella
  • Sassareseisthellafrom Corsican stella
  • Sassaresesthellafrom Corsican stella
  • Dalmatianstala
  • Dalmatianstalla
Gallo-Romance
  • Catalanestela
  • Catalanestel
  • Occitanestela
  • Franco-Provençalètêla
  • Old Frenchestoile
Insular Romance
  • Sardinianisteddu
  • Sardiniansteddu
Ibero-Romance
  • Portugueseestrelafrom Old Galician-Portuguese estrela
  • Spanishestrellafrom Old Spanish estrella
  • Aragoneseestrela
  • Galicianestrelafrom Old Galician-Portuguese estrela
  • Asturianestrella
  • Extremaduranestrella
  • Leoneseestrella
  • Mirandesestreilha
  • Ladinoestreyafrom Old Spanish estrella
Balkano-Romance
  • Romanianstea
  • Aromaniansteauã
  • Istro-Romanianste
  • Megleno-Romaniansteau̯ă
Rhaeto-Romance
  • Friulianstele
  • Ladinstëila
  • Ladinstëra
  • Romanshstaila
  • Romanshsteila
  • Romanshstéla
Gallo-Italic
  • Emilianstrèla
  • Lombardstella
  • Lombardstèlla
  • Lombardstela
  • Ligurianstela
  • Piedmontesestèila
  • Piedmontesesteila

In English words that came into English from stēlla

  • constellationcōnstēllātiōnem
  • stellarstēllāris
  • stellifystellificāre
  • stellionstellio
  • stelliferousstēlla
  • estoilestēlla
  • stellatedstellatus
  • stellastēlla
  • stellatestēllātus
  • stelliformstelliformis
  • stellaritestēlla
  • stellularstellula
  • stellionatestellionatus
proper noun · masculinefirst declension
Stēlla2
Stēlla m sg (genitive Stēllae)
Classical[ˈsteːl.la]Ecclesiastical[ˈstɛl.la]

Meaning

  1. A Roman cognomen — famously held by
  2. Lucius Arruntius Stella, a Roman senator

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeStēlla—
genitiveStēllae—
dativeStēllae—
accusativeStēllam—
ablativeStēllā—
vocativeStēlla—

Origins

From stēlla (“star”).

Quick answers

What does stēlla mean in Latin?
stēlla, a noun, means “a star; (poetic) a constellation; a star shape, a figure of a star”.
What is the genitive of stēlla?
The genitive singular is stēllae. stēlla is feminine, first declension.
How do you pronounce stēlla?
In classical Latin, [ˈsteːl.la]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈstɛl.la].
Which English words come from stēlla?
English words that go back to Latin stēlla include stelliferous, estoile, stella, stellarite, constellation and stellar.