LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininefirst declension

sterceia

sterceia f (genitive sterceiae)
Classical[stɛrˈkɛj.ja]Ecclesiastical[sterˈt͡ʃɛː.ja]

Meaning

  1. femininea maidservant who cleans the excrement from children
    Quārē nōn et sterceiae et syntrophī nōminantur?Why are excrement maids or childhood companions not also named?c. 160 CE, Tertullian, Adversus Valentinianos 8

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativesterceiasterceiae
genitivesterceiaesterceiārum
dativesterceiaesterceiīs
accusativesterceiamsterceiās
ablativesterceiāsterceiīs
vocativesterceiasterceiae

stercēia, ae, f. stercus,
I. a maidservant who cleans the excrements from children, Tert. adv. Val. 8.—As a nickname, Petr. 75, 9 (al. sterteja).

Origins

Perhaps a humorous formation stercus (“dung, manure”) + -eius (nomen-gentilicium-forming suffix) in Tertullian. Compare to stertēia.

Quick answers

What does sterceia mean in Latin?
sterceia, a noun, means “a maidservant who cleans the excrement from children”.
What is the genitive of sterceia?
The genitive singular is sterceiae. sterceia is feminine, first declension.
How do you pronounce sterceia?
In classical Latin, [stɛrˈkɛj.ja]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [sterˈt͡ʃɛː.ja].