LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective

triquetrus

triquetrus (feminine triquetra, neuter triquetrum)
Classical[ˈtrɪ.kʷɛ.trʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈtriː.kʷe.trus]

Meaning

  1. adjectivetriangular; having three corners
  2. adjectivepoeticof or pertaining to Sicily

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativetriquetrustriquetratriquetrum
genitivetriquetrītriquetraetriquetrī
dativetriquetrōtriquetraetriquetrō
accusativetriquetrumtriquetramtriquetrum
ablativetriquetrōtriquetrātriquetrō
vocativetriquetretriquetratriquetrum
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativetriquetrītriquetraetriquetra
genitivetriquetrōrumtriquetrārumtriquetrōrum
dativetriquetrīstriquetrīstriquetrīs
accusativetriquetrōstriquetrāstriquetra
ablativetriquetrīstriquetrīstriquetrīs
vocativetriquetrītriquetraetriquetra

trĭquē^trus, a, um, adj.,
I. having three corners, three-cornered, triangular.
I. In gen.: triquetra aliis, aliis quadrata, Lucr. 4, 653: ager (opp. quadratus), Col. 5, 2, 1: figura (opp. quadrata), Plin. 2, 25, 23, § 93: (Britannia) insula naturā triquetra, Caes. B. G. 5, 13: Martis sidus numquam stationem facere Jovis sidere triquetro, i. e. distant by a third of the zodiac, Plin. 2, 17, 15, § 77; also as subst.: trĭquē^trum, i, n., the trinal aspect, that in which a planet's longitude differs by one-third of a circle from the earth's: in triquetro, id. 2, 15, 12, § 59; 2, 18, 16, § 80.—
II. In partic., as adj. prop., of or belonging to the island of Sicily, Sicilian: orae, Lucr. 1, 717; Sil. 5, 489: tellus, Hor. S. 2, 6, 55; cf. Quint. 1, 6, 30.

Origins

From tri- and maybe Proto-Indo-European *kʷeh₁d- (“sharp”). The poetic sense is a reference to the triangular shape of Sicily. The second element is cognate with English whet.

Descendants
  • Catalantriquetre
  • Spanishtriquetro

In English words that came into English from triquetrus

  • triquetratriquetrus
  • triquetroustriquetrus
  • triquetrumtriquetrus

Quick answers

What does triquetrus mean in Latin?
triquetrus, a adjective, means “triangular; having three corners; of or pertaining to Sicily”.
How do you pronounce triquetrus?
In classical Latin, [ˈtrɪ.kʷɛ.trʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈtriː.kʷe.trus].
Which English words come from triquetrus?
English words that go back to Latin triquetrus include triquetra, triquetrous and triquetrum.