LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective

trigeminus

trigeminus (feminine trigemina, neuter trigeminum)
Classical[trɪˈɡɛ.mɪ.nʊs]Ecclesiastical[triˈd͡ʒɛː.mi.nus]

Meaning

  1. adjectivethree born at a birth
  2. adjectivepoeticthreefold, triple, triform

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativetrigeminustrigeminatrigeminum
genitivetrigeminītrigeminaetrigeminī
dativetrigeminōtrigeminaetrigeminō
accusativetrigeminumtrigeminamtrigeminum
ablativetrigeminōtrigeminātrigeminō
vocativetrigeminetrigeminatrigeminum
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativetrigeminītrigeminaetrigemina
genitivetrigeminōrumtrigeminārumtrigeminōrum
dativetrigeminīstrigeminīstrigeminīs
accusativetrigeminōstrigemināstrigemina
ablativetrigeminīstrigeminīstrigeminīs
vocativetrigeminītrigeminaetrigemina

trĭgĕmĭnus (collat. form, mostly poet., tergĕmĭnus), a, um, adj. tresgeminus,
I. three born at a birth: fratres, three twin-brothers.
I. Lit., Liv. 1, 24, 1; cf.: tergeminos nasci certum est Horatiorum Curiatiorumque exemplo, Plin. 7, 3, 3, § 33: trigeminorum matres, Col. 3, 8, 1: trigemini filii, Plaut. Mil. 3, 1, 123. — As subst.: trĭgĕmĭni, three brothers born at a birth, Liv. 1, 25, 1; Col. 2, 1, 3; 7, 6, 7; cf.: trigemino partu, id. 3, 10, 17: Horatius trigemina spolia prae se gerens, of the three twin-brothers, Liv. 1, 26, 2: Trigemini, the title of a comedy of Plautus, Gell. 7, 9, 7.—
II. Transf., in gen., threefold, triple, triform, = triplex (mostly poet.): trigeminae victoriae triplicem triumphum egistis, Liv. 6, 7, 4: tripectora tergemini vis Geryonai, Lucr. 5, 28; cf. of the same and of Cerberus: tergeminumque virum tergeminumque canem, Ov. Tr. 4, 7, 16; and of Cerberus: cui tres sunt linguae tergeminumque caput, Tib. 3, 4, 88: canis, Prop. 4 (5), 7, 52. tergemina Hecate (because she was also Luna and Diana; cf. triceps and triformis), Verg. A. 4, 511: tergemina dextra, i. e. of the three Graces, Stat. S. 3, 4, 83: jus tergeminae prolis. i. e. trium liberorum, id. ib. 4, 8, 21: pomorum tergemina natura, Plin. 15, 28, 34, § 114: verba illa Ciceronis in Pisonem (cap. 1) trigemina: decepit, fefellit, induxit, Gell. 13, 24, 22: certat tergeminis tollere honoribus, to the threefold honors, i. e. of the three highest magistracies, those of the curule Ædile, the prætor, and the consul, Hor. C. 1, 1, 8: at tibi tergeminum mugiet ille sophos, thrice repeated, Mart. 3, 46, 8.—
III. Porta Trigemina, a gate, in the early times of Rome, at the foot of Mount Aventine, Liv. 4, 16, 2; 35, 10, 12; Plaut. Capt. 1, 1, 22; Plin. 18, 3, 4, § 15; Front. Aquaed. 5 al.; cf. Becker, Antiq. 1, p. 157 sq.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*tréyes
  2. Proto-Indo-European*tri-
  3. Proto-Italic*tri-
  4. Latintrigeminus

Latin geminus Latin trigeminus From tri- (“three”) + geminus (“twinborn; paired, double, twofold”).

Descendants
  • Catalantrigemin
  • Englishtrigeminus
  • Englishtrigeminal

In English words that came into English from trigeminus

  • trigeminaltrigeminus
  • trigeminoustrigeminus

Quick answers

What does trigeminus mean in Latin?
trigeminus, a adjective, means “three born at a birth; threefold, triple, triform”.
How do you pronounce trigeminus?
In classical Latin, [trɪˈɡɛ.mɪ.nʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [triˈd͡ʒɛː.mi.nus].
Where does trigeminus come from?
Proto-Indo-European *tréyes → Proto-Indo-European *tri- → Proto-Italic *tri- → Latin trigeminus.