LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininefirst declension

tuba

tuba f (genitive tubae)
Classical[ˈtʊ.ba]Ecclesiastical[ˈtuː.ba]
Mille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. feminineliterallylong trumpet over 1 meter in length, especially a war-trumpet
  2. femininesignal for war, war
  3. femininesonorous, elevated epic poetry
  4. femininelofty style of speaking
  5. femininefigurativelyexciter, author, instigator

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

quā signa canuntur: ad pugnam, ad somnum.
tuba -ae f — in Mille Verba, Bellum et Arma
aeris īnstrūmentum, quō signum canitur
tuba -ae (f) — in Metamorphoses I, ch. 21

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativetubatubae
genitivetubaetubārum
dativetubaetubīs
accusativetubamtubās
ablativetubātubīs
vocativetubatubae

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

classicum or tuba canit ad praetorium
the bugle, trumpet sounds before the general's tent.

tŭba, ae, f. kindr. with tubus, a tube,
I. a trumpet, esp. a war-trumpet (straight, while the cornu was curved, Acron ad Hor. C. 1, 1, 23).
I. Lit.: ille arma misit, cornua, tubas, falces, Cic. Sull. 5, 17: tubae et signa militaria, id. Cat. 2, 6, 13: at tuba terribili sonitu taratantara dixit, Enn. ap. Prisc. p. 842 P. (Ann. v. 452 Vahl.); imitated by Verg. A. 9, 503: tubae utrimque canunt, Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 73: signum tubā dare, Caes. B. G. 2, 20; so id. ib. 7, 81; id. B. C. 3, 46; 3, 90; Liv. 29, 27, 5 al.; cf. also Caes. B. G. 7, 47; Hirt. B. G. 8, 20: non tuba directi, non aeris cornua fiexi, Ov. M. 1, 98; Tac. A. 1, 68; Luc. 4, 750; 6, 130; 7, 477; Sil. 5, 12 al.; v. Veg. Mil. 3, 5.—Apart from military purposes, it was used on various occasions, as at religious festivals, games, funerals, etc., Varr. L. L. 6, § 14 Müll.; Ov. F. 1, 716; Verg. A. 5, 113; Juv. 10, 214; Stat. S. 3, 1, 139 al.; cf. tubus, II. A.; Verg. A. 11, 192; Ov. H. 12, 140; Hor. S. 1, 6, 44; Pers. 3, 103; cf. Atei. Capito ap. Gell. 20, 2, 3.—
B. Transf.
1. A signal for war, war, Claud. Rapt. Pros. 1, 64; id. Laud. Stil. 1, 246; Mart. Spect. 28, 2.—
2. A loud sound: nimborum, i. e. the roar of thunder, Claud. gigant. 60.—
b. Sonorous, elevated epic poetry, Mart. 8, 3, 22; 8, 56, 4; 10, 64, 4; 11, 3, 8; Claud. Cons. Prob. et Olybr. 197.—
c. A lofty style of speaking, Prud. contr. Symm. 2, 68; Sid. Ep. 4, 3 fin. —
II. Trop.: tuba belli civilis, i. e. exciter, author, instigator, Cic. Fam. 6, 12, 3: rixae, Juv. 15, 52.

Origins

Possibly connected to tībia (“shinbone, reed-pipe”) with similarities in meaning and form.

Descendants
  • Englishtuba
  • Frenchtuba
  • Italiantuba
  • Spanishtuba
  • Galiciantuba
  • Russianту́ба

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

AntiquitiesTubaTuba (σάλπιγξ), a bronze trumpet, distinguished from the cornu by being straight while the latter was curved. Thus Ovid (Ov. Met. 1.98): Non tuba dire…

Quick answers

What does tuba mean in Latin?
tuba, a noun, means “long trumpet over 1 meter in length, especially a war-trumpet; signal for war, war; exciter, author, instigator”.
What is the genitive of tuba?
The genitive singular is tubae. tuba is feminine, first declension.
How do you pronounce tuba?
In classical Latin, [ˈtʊ.ba]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈtuː.ba].