LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinesecond declension

taurus1

taurus m (genitive taurī)
Classical[ˈtau̯.rʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈtaːu̯.rus]
Mille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. masculinea bull, steer
  2. masculinethe constellation Taurus the bull
    vacca sit an taurus, nōn est cognōscere prōmptum:Whether it is a cow or a bull is not easy to know: the front part appears, the hindquarters lie hidden. (Although Ovid wryly observes that Taurus (constellation) depicts only the head, horns, and forequarters of this mythological animal, traditionally it was seen as a ‘‘taurus’’ and not a ‘‘vacca’’ charging in the sky.)8 CE, Ovidius, Fasti 4.717–718
  3. masculinean instrument of torture, in the shape of a bull
  4. masculinea (dialectal, Gaul) small bird that sounds like the lowing of oxen, possibly the bittern
    est quae boum mugitus imitetur, in Arelatensi agro taurus appellata, alioquin parva est.77 CE – 79 CE, Plinius Maior, Naturalis Historia 10.116
  5. masculinea kind of beetle
  6. masculinethe perineum

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

bōs fortis quī cornua magna gerit.
taurus -ī m — in Mille Verba, Animālia

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativetaurus
taurulus		taurī
taurulī
genitivetaurī
taurulī		taurōrum
taurulōrum
dativetaurō
taurulō		taurīs
taurulīs
accusativetaurum
taurulum		taurōs
taurulōs
ablativetaurō
taurulō		taurīs
taurulīs
vocativetaure
taurule		taurī
taurulī

taurus, i, m. = Gr. ταῦρος; Sanscr. sthūrus; Goth. stiur; Germ. Stier,
I. a bull, bullock, ox, steer.
I. Lit., Varr. R. R. 2, 5; Col. 6, 20; Plin. 8, 45, 70, § 176; Plaut. Ps. 1, 2, 66; Cic. Div. 2, 16, 36 sq.; Caes. B. G. 6, 28; Verg. G. 3, 212; Hor. S. 1, 3, 110 al. —
II. Transf.
A. A brazen bull made by Perillus, that Phalaris used as an instrument of torture, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 33, § 73; Ov. A. A. 1, 653; id. Tr. 3, 11, 41 sq.; Plin. 34, 8, 19, § 89.—
B. The Bull, a constellation in the zodiac, Hyg. Astr. 2, 21; 3, 20; Verg. G. 1, 218; Plin. 2, 41, 41, § 110.—
C. A small bird that imitates the lowing of oxen, perh. the bittern, Plin. 10, 42, 57, § 116.—
D. A kind of beetle: tauri vocantur scaribaei terrestres ricino similes, Plin. 30, 5, 12, § 39. —
E. A root of a tree, acc. to Quint. 8, 2, 13. —
F. The surface of the body between the anus and the privy parts, Gr. ὄρρος, Fest. s. v. solitaurilia, p. 293 Müll.; cf. Diom. p. 444 P.
Taurus, i, m.,
I. a Roman proper name: M. Taurus, Cic. Q. Fr. 3, 1.

Origins

From Proto-Italic *tauros, from Proto-Indo-European *táwros, which is probably from a non-IE substrate source. Since Latin does not show the metathesis of *-aur- > *-aru- found in terms such as parvum, it is possible that the term is a loanword and that the borrowing postdates the metathesis. However, Latin īnstaurō (< *steh₂u-ro-) perhaps also lacks the same metathesis, which could imply that the rule did have exceptions. This metathesis perhaps occurred in Celtic, where Proto-Indo-European *táwros produced Proto-Celtic *tarwos.

Descendants
  • Catalantoro
  • EnglishTaurus
  • Frenchtaureau
  • Italiantoro
  • Occitantaur
  • Portuguesetourofrom Old Galician-Portuguese touro
  • Portuguesetoirofrom Old Galician-Portuguese touro
  • Romaniantaur
  • Sardiniantrau
  • Spanishtoro

In English words that came into English from taurus

  • toreadortaurus
  • Taurustaurus
  • taurinetaurīnus
  • tauricidetaurus
  • taurictaurus
  • suovetauriliasuovetaurīlia
  • taurolatrytaurus
  • tauriformtaurifōrmis
proper noun · masculinesecond declension
Taurus2
Taurus m sg (genitive Taurī)
Classical[ˈtau̯.rʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈtaːu̯.rus]

Meaning

  1. masculinesingularTaurus, one of the constellations of the Zodiac

Taurus, i, m.,
I. a high mountainrange in the south-eastern part of Asia Minor, now Allah Dagh, Bulghar Dagh, etc., Mel. 1, 15, 2; Plin. 5, 27, 27, § 97; Varr. R. R. 2, 1, 8; Cic. Fam. 15, 1, 3; 15, 2, 2 al.: Tauri Pylae, a defile between Cappadocia and Cilicia, id. Att. 5, 20, 2.

Origins

From taurus (“bull”)

In English words that came into English from Taurus

  • TaurusTaurus

Quick answers

What does taurus mean in Latin?
taurus, a noun, means “a bull, steer; the constellation Taurus the bull; an instrument of torture, in the shape of a bull”.
What is the genitive of taurus?
The genitive singular is taurī. taurus is masculine, second declension.
How do you pronounce taurus?
In classical Latin, [ˈtau̯.rʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈtaːu̯.rus].
Which English words come from taurus?
English words that go back to Latin taurus include toreador, tauricide, tauric, taurolatry, Taurus and taurine.