adjectivethird-declension two-termination adjective
sterilis
sterilis (neuter sterile)
Classical[ˈstɛ.rɪ.lɪs]Ecclesiastical[ˈstɛː.ri.lis]
Meaning
- two terminationbarren, sterile
- two terminationunprofitable, futile
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
quī frūctum nōn fertsterilis -e — in Metamorphoses I, ch. 3, 17
Declension
| form | masculine | feminine | neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | sterilis | sterilis | sterile |
| genitive | sterilis | sterilis | sterilis |
| dative | sterilī | sterilī | sterilī |
| accusative | sterilem | sterilem | sterile |
| ablative | sterilī | sterilī | sterilī |
| vocative | sterilis | sterilis | sterile |
| form | masculine | feminine | neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | sterilēs | sterilēs | sterilia |
| genitive | sterilium | sterilium | sterilium |
| dative | sterilibus | sterilibus | sterilibus |
| accusative | sterilīs sterilēs | sterilīs sterilēs | sterilia |
| ablative | sterilibus | sterilibus | sterilibus |
| vocative | sterilēs | sterilēs | sterilia |
stĕrĭlis, e (collat. form,
I. acc. sing. fem sterilam sterilem, Fest. p. 316 Müll.; neutr. plur. sterila, Lucr. 2, 845; abl. sterile, Apic. 7, 1, § 258), adj. Gr. στερεός, hard; στερίφη, στεῖρα, barren; Sanscr. starī, vacca sterilis, unfruitful, barren, sterile, of plants and animals (class. and very freq.;
syn infecundus): steriles nascuntur avenae, Verg. E. 5, 37; so, ulvae, Ov. M. 4, 299: herba, id. Am. 3, 7, 31; Curt. 4, 1, 21: platani, Verg. G. 2, 70: agri, id. ib. 1, 84; id. A. 3, 141: tellus, Ov. M. 8, 789: palus, Hor. A. P. 65: harena, Verg. G. 1, 70: humus, Prop. 3, 2 (2, 11), 2; Curt. 7, 5, 34: solum, id. 3, 4, 3: steriles nimium crasso sunt semine, Lucr. 4, 1240; Cat. 67, 26: galli Tanagric' ad partus sunt steriliores, Varr. R. R. 3, 9, 6: vacca, Verg. A. 6, 251: multae (mulie res), Lucr. 4, 1251: viri, i. e. eunuchs, Cat. 63, 69; Plin. 24, 10, 47, § 78; Mart. 9, 9, 8: ova, Plin. 10, 60, 80, § 166.—B. Transf. (mostly poet. and in post-Aug. prose; not in Cic.).
1. Of things, causing unfruitfulness or sterility:
rubigo, Hor. C. 3, 23, 6: frigus, Luc. 4, 108: hiems, Mart. 8, 68, 10: serere pampinariis sterile est, produces sterility, Plin. 17, 21, 35, § 157.—2. In gen., barren, bare, empty:
manus, Plaut. Truc. 1, 2, 3: sterilis amator a datis, bare of gifts, id. ib. 2, 1, 30: amicus, Juv. 12, 97; Mart. 10, 18, 3: epistulae, Plin. Ep. 5, 2, 2: saeculum, id. ib. 5, 17, 6: civitas ad aquas, App. M. 1, p. 106 fin.: vadum, Sen. Thyest. 173: corpora sonitu (with jejuna succo), that yield no sound, Lucr. 2, 845: prospectus, without human beings, Plaut. Mil. 3, 1, 15: domus, without children, Prop. 4 (5), 11, 62. nummi, that do not bear interest, Dig. 22, 1, 7.—With gen.: sterilis laurus baccarum, Plin. 15, 30, 39, § 130: lapides plumbi, id. 33, 7, 40, § 119.—II. Trop., unproductive, unprofitable, fruitless, useless, vain:
Februarius, Cic. Q. Fr. 2, 12, 2: quod monumentum, quod immo temporis punctum, aut beneficio sterile, aut vacuum laude? Plin. Pan. 56, 2: ne sit sterile et effetum (saeculum), id. Ep. 5, 17, 6: fama (with cassa), Stat. Th. 6, 70: labor, Mart. 10, 58, 8: pax, Tac. A. 1, 17: amor, i. e. unreturned, unrequited, Ov. M. 1, 496; Stat. S. 3, 4, 42: cathedrae, unprofitable, Mart. 1, 76, 14; Juv. 7, 203: litus sterili versamus aratro, id. 7, 49.—With gen., destitute, deprived of, unacquainted with: urbes talium studiorum fuere steriles, Vell. 1, 18 fin.: non adeo virtutum sterile saeculum, Tac. H. 1, 3: heu steriles veri! Pers. 5, 75.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
sterilis e, adj.
1 STAR-, unfruitful, barren, sterile, unproductive : avenae, V.: herba, O.: agri, V.: tellus, O.: palus, H.: Robigo, causing sterility , H.: amor, i. e. unrequited , O.: amicus, unprofitable , Iu.: virtutum sterile saeculum, Ta.
Origins
From Proto-Indo-European *ster- (“sterile”). Related to Ancient Greek στεῖρα (steîra, “heifer; barren woman”) and German Sterke (“heifer”).
Descendants
- Frenchéterlefrom Franco-Provençal êterlo
- Catalanestèril
- Englishsterile
- Frenchstérile
- Germansteril
- Italiansterile
- Portugueseestéril
- Romaniansteril
- Spanishestéril
- Piedmontesestéril
In English words that came into English from sterilis
- sterilesterilis
- sterilitysterilitās