LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininefirst declension

tēla

tēla f (genitive tēlae)
Classical[ˈteː.ɫa]Ecclesiastical[ˈtɛː.la]

Meaning

  1. web
  2. warp (threads that run lengthwise in a loom)
    [...] atque illī stēllātus iaspide fulvā ēnsis erat, Tyriōque ārdēbat mūrice laena dēmissa ex umerīs, dīves quae mūnera Dīdō fēcerat, et tenuī tēlās discrēverat aurō. And [Mercury saw] that [Aeneas’s] sword was starred with tawny jasper, and a cloak ablaze with Tyrian purple hung from his shoulders – splendid gifts which Dido had made – and its warp-threads were highlighted with thin gold.29 BCE – 19 BCE, Vergilius, Aeneis 4.261–264
  3. loom
    et tamen assiduīs exercet brāchia tēlīsAnd yet she keeps her arms busy at the looms, and so prepares armor (having been) set against the threats of winter.8 CE, Ovidius, Fasti 4.699–700

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativetēlatēlae
genitivetēlaetēlārum
dativetēlaetēlīs
accusativetēlamtēlās
ablativetēlātēlīs
vocativetēlatēlae

tēla, ae, f. prob. contr. from texia, from texo; cf. ala, from axilla; mala, from maxilla, Cic. Or. 45, 153,
I. a web.
I. Lit.: texentem telam studiose ipsam offendimus, Ter. Heaut. 2, 3, 44: Penelope telam retexens, Cic. Ac. 2, 29, 95: tenui telas discreverat auro, Verg. A. 4, 264; 11, 75: vetus in telā deducitur argumentum, Ov. M. 6, 69: commenta retexere tela, Stat. S. 3, 5, 9; Dig. 32, 1, 69; 34, 2, 22: lanā et telā victum quaeritans, Ter. And. 1, 1, 48; cf.: assiduis exercet bracchia telis, Ov. F. 4, 699: antiquas exercet telas, id. M. 6, 145: plena domus telarum, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 26, § 59.—Of a spider's web: deiciamque eorum (araneorum) omnis telas, Plaut. Stich. 2, 2, 25; Cat. 68, 49; Mart. 8, 33, 15; Juv. 14, 61.—
B. Transf.
1. The threads that run lengthwise in the loom, the warp (syn.: stamen, trama), Tib. 1, 6, 79: licia telae Addere, Verg. G. 1, 285; 3, 562; Ov. M. 4, 275; 6, 54 sq.—
2. A weaver's beam, yarn-beam; also, a loom, Cato, R. R. 10, 5; 14, 2; Ov. M. 4, 35; 6, 576. —
II. Trop., a web, i. e. a plan, design: exorsa haec tela non male omnino mihi est, Plaut. Bacch. 2, 3, 116: ad detexundam telam, id. Ps. 1, 4, 7: quamquam ea tela texitur et ea incitatur in civitate ratio vivendi, ut, etc., Cic. de Or. 3, 60, 226.

Origins

Inherited from Proto-Italic *tekslā, formed to the root of texō (“to weave”).

Southern Gallo-Romance
  • Catalantela
  • Occitantelafrom Old Occitan tela
  • Aragonesetela
  • Auvergnattialafrom Old Occitan tela
  • Auvergnattiarafrom Old Occitan tela
  • Auvergnattalafrom Old Occitan tela
  • Limousintialafrom Old Occitan tela
  • Vivaro-Alpinetièlafrom Old Occitan tela
  • Vivaro-Alpinetièrafrom Old Occitan tela
  • Vivaro-Alpinetiarafrom Old Occitan tela
Ibero-Romance
  • Portugueseteia
  • Spanishtela
  • Asturiantela
  • Galiciantea
Borrowings
  • Englishtela
  • Portuguesetela
Balkan Romance
  • Romanianteară
  • Aromaniantearã
Italo-Romance
  • Italiantela
  • Neapolitantela
  • Siciliantila
Northern Gallo-Romance
  • Frenchtoilefrom Old French teile
  • Franco-Provençaltêla
  • Franco-Provençaltéila
  • Franco-Provençaltêlya
  • Franco-Provençaltaela
  • Franco-Provençaltaelya
Dalmatian
  • unknowntial
Padanian
  • Emiliantaila
  • Emilianteira
  • Emilianteila
  • Emiliantela
  • Friuliantele
  • Liguriantèia
  • Liguriantèira
  • Lombardtila
  • Lombardtéla
  • Lombardtéra

In English words that came into English from tēla

  • tillertelarium
  • subtlesubtīlis
  • subtletysubtīlitās
  • telarytelaris

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

AntiquitiesTelaTela (ἱστός), a loom. The elementary principle of weaving being merely the crossing of threads over and under, it is probable that it first took the f…

Quick answers

What does tēla mean in Latin?
tēla, a noun, means “web; warp (threads that run lengthwise in a loom); loom”.
What is the genitive of tēla?
The genitive singular is tēlae. tēla is feminine, first declension.
How do you pronounce tēla?
In classical Latin, [ˈteː.ɫa]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈtɛː.la].
Which English words come from tēla?
English words that go back to Latin tēla include tiller, subtle, telary and subtlety.