LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininefirst declension

taenia

taenia f (genitive taeniae)
Classical[ˈtae̯.ni.a]Ecclesiastical[ˈtɛː.ni.a]

Meaning

  1. feminineribbon
  2. femininetapeworm
  3. femininetaenia (band between the frieze and architrave in the Doric order)
  4. feminineribbonfish (Trachipterus spp.)

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativetaeniataeniae
genitivetaeniaetaeniārum
dativetaeniaetaeniīs
accusativetaeniamtaeniās
ablativetaeniātaeniīs
vocativetaeniataeniae

taenĭa, ae (
I. abl. plur. taeniis; dissyl., Verg. A. 5, 269), f., = ταινία, a band, ribbon, fillet; a head-band, hair-band, bandeau (syn. vitta).
I. Lit. (only poet.): taenias Graecam vocem sic interpretatur Verrius, ut dicat ornamentum esse laneum capitis honorati, ut sit apud Caecilium in Androgyno: sepulcrum plenum taeniarum, ita ut solet, et alias: dum taeniam, qui volnus vinciret, petit. Ennius in Alexandro: volans de caelo cum coronā et taeniis (Trag. Rel. v. 33 Rib.): Attius in Neoptolemo: (tumulum) decorare est satius quam urbem taeniis, Fest. p. 360 Müll. (cf. Trag. Rel. v. 472 Rib.): puniceis ibant evincti tempora taeniis, Verg. A. 5, 269; 7, 352: taenia ne madidos violet bombycina crines, Mart. 14, 24, 1.—
II. Transf., of things of a like shape.
A. A tape-worm: Taenia solium and vulgaris, Linn.; Cato, R. R. 126; Plin. 11, 33, 39, § 113; 31, 9, 45, § 102; Ser. Samm. 30, 563.—
B. A kind of fish, the ribbon-fish: Cepola taenia, Linn.; Plin. 32, 7, 24, § 76 (Jahn, thynnus).—
C. In archit., the fillet which separates the Doric frieze from the architrave, Vitr. 4, 3 med.—
D. A streak in paper, Plin. 13, 12, 25, § 81 (Sillig).—
E. A row of projecting rocks in the sea, a reef, Plin. 3, prooem. § 4. — Hence the purple-fish found on these rocks are called taeniense genus purpurarum, Plin. 9, 37, 61, § 131.

Origins

From Ancient Greek ταινία (tainía, “ribbon, tape”).

In English words that came into English from taenia

  • taeniataenia
  • taeniasistaenia
  • taenidiumtaenia

Quick answers

What does taenia mean in Latin?
taenia, a noun, means “ribbon; tapeworm; taenia (band between the frieze and architrave in the Doric order)”.
What is the genitive of taenia?
The genitive singular is taeniae. taenia is feminine, first declension.
How do you pronounce taenia?
In classical Latin, [ˈtae̯.ni.a]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈtɛː.ni.a].
Which English words come from taenia?
English words that go back to Latin taenia include taenia, taeniasis and taenidium.