noun · femininefirst declension
testa1
testa f (genitive testae)
Classical[ˈtɛs.ta]Ecclesiastical[ˈtɛs.ta]
Meaning
- femininea piece of burned clay, brick, tile
- femininean earthen pot, pitcher, jug, urn
- femininea sherd, potsherd
- femininea piece of bone
- feminineostracon (= ὄστρακον (óstrakon))
- femininethe shell of shellfish or of testaceous animals, shellfish
- Late Latinfeminineskull
- femininea sort of clapping with the flat of the hands (as if with two tiles), in token of applause, invented by Nero
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
vās fictiletesta -ae (f) — in IVLIANVS II: Imperium, ch. 20
pars vāsis frāctītesta -ae (f) — in Metamorphoses I, ch. 16
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | testa | testae |
| genitive | testae | testārum |
| dative | testae | testīs |
| accusative | testam | testās |
| ablative | testā | testīs |
| vocative | testa | testae |
testa, ae, f. = tosta, from torreo,
I. a piece of burned clay, a brick, tile, ὄστρακον.
I. Lit., Cic. Dom. 23, 61; Cato, R. R. 18, 7; 18, 110; Varr. R. R. 2, 3, 6; Vitr. 2, 8 fin.; 7, 1; 7, 4; Aus. Parent. 11, 9.—
II. Transf.
A. A piece of baked earthen-ware, an earthen pot, pitcher, jug, urn, etc. (cf. testu):
si Prometheus ... a vicinis cum testā ambulans carbunculos corrogaret, Auct. Her. 4, 6, 9: testā cum ardente viderent Scintillare oleum, a lamp, Verg. G. 1, 391: quo semel est imbuta recens, servabit odorem Testa diu, Hor. Ep. 1, 2, 70; cf. Tib. 2, 3, 47: accipiat Manes parvula testa meos, Prop. 2, 13, 32 (3, 5, 16): vinum Graeca quod testā conditum levi, Hor. C. 1, 20, 2; 3, 21, 4: mihi fundat avitum Condita testa merum, Ov. A. A. 2, 696; Mart. 12, 48, 8; 12, 63, 2; 13, 7, 1; Plin. 31, 10, 46, § 114.—Used in applause: audiat ille Testarum crepitus cum verbis, Juv. 11, 170 (cf. F. infra).—B. A broken piece of earthen-ware, pottery, brick, etc.; a sherd, potsherd: dissipatis imbricum fragminibus ac testis tegularum, Sisenn. ap. Non. 125, 18:
testa parem fecit, Ov. M. 8, 662: fulcitur testā mensa, Mart. 2, 43, 10; Plin. 32, 8, 28, § 89; 35, 3, 5, § 16; Tac. H. 5, 6; Prop. 4 (5), 7, 28; Juv. 3, 260.—Hence, C. Like ὄστρακον, a sherd, potsherd, in the ostracism or judicial voting of the Greeks: testarum suffragiis, quod illi ὀστρακισμὸν vocant, Nep. Cim. 3, 1; cf. also testula.—
D. The shell of shell-fish or of testaceous animals:
genera beluarum ad saxa nativis testis inhaerentium, Cic. N. D. 2, 39, 100: ostreae, Plin. 32, 6, 21, § 60: muricum, id. 32, 7, 27, § 84: cochlearum, id. 30, 8, 21, § 66: testudinis, Varr. L. L. 5, § 79 Müll. —Hence, 2. Transf.
a. A shell-fish:
non omne mare generosae fertile testae, Hor. S. 2, 4, 31: marina, id. ib. 2, 8, 53.—b. A shell or covering, in gen.:
lubricaque immotas testa premebat aquas, i. e. an icy shell, covering of ice, Ov. Tr. 3, 10, 38: lubrica, Poët. ap. Anthol. Lat. 2, p. 62 Burm.—c. The skull:
testa hominis, nudum jam cute calvitium, Aus. Epigr. 72; Prud. στεφ. 10, 761; Cael. Aur. Tard. 1, 1; 2, 1 fin. (hence, Ital. testa and Fr. tēte).—E. A brick-colored spot on the face, Plin. 26, 15, 92, § 163; 48. 12, 50, § 185.—
F. A sort of clapping with the flat of the hands (as if with two tiles), in token of applause, invented by Nero, Suet. Ner 20.
Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
testa ae, f
TERS-, a piece of burned clay, brick, tile : testae tectorum meorum.— A piece of baked earthen-ware, earthen vessel, pot, pitcher, jug, urn : testā ardente, a lamp , V.: (vinum) testā Conditum levi, H.: mihi fundat avitum Condita testa merum, O.— A broken piece of earthen-ware, brick, sherd, potsherd : Testa parem fecit, O.: unde cerebrum testa ferit, Iu.—Among the Greeks, a sherd used in voting, potsherd as a ballot : testarum suffragiis, quod illi ὀστρακισμόν vocant, N.— Plur, castanets, bits of bone struck together by dancers : Testarum crepitūs cum verbis, Iu.— A shell, hard covering : nativae: lubrica, i. e. a covering of ice , O.— A shell-fish : non omne mare est generosae fertile testae, H.
Origins
Unknown: * Perhaps as if tosta, from torreō (“to burn, parch”). * Perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *tₔtḱ-t-, from *tetḱ- (“to create, produce”) (whence Latin texō (“to weave”)), and thus cognate with Middle Persian tšt' (tašt). This is considered unlikely by De Vaan for semantic reasons. * Borrowed from a substrate language, as words for vessels often are.
Southern Gallo-Romance
- Catalantesta
- Occitantèsta
- Occitantesta
Italo-Dalmatian
- Italiantesta
- Spanishtestafrom Italian testa
- Corsicantesta
- Istriottiesta
- Alemannic GermanTestefrom Italian testa
- Siciliantesta
- Venetantesta
Balkano-Romance
- Romanianțeastă
Northern Gallo-Romance
- Frenchtêtefrom Old French teste
- Franco-Provençaltéta
- Champenoistétefrom Old French teste
- Normantêtefrom Old French teste
- Normanteetfrom Old French teste
- Walloontiessefrom Old French teste
Ibero-Romance
- Portuguesetestafrom Old Galician-Portuguese testa
- Asturiantiesta
- Leonesetiesta
- Galiciantestafrom Old Galician-Portuguese testa
- Old Spanishtiesta
Rhaeto-Romance
- Friulianteste
- Romanshtesta
Gallo-Italic
- Emiliantèsta
- Lombardtesta
- Liguriantéstafrom Old Ligurian tiesta