LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · neuterthird declension

tūber1

tūber n (genitive tūberis)
Classical[ˈtuː.bɛr]Ecclesiastical[ˈtuː.ber]

Meaning

  1. a hump, bump, swelling, protuberance; excrescence
  2. the cyclamen or other similar plants with tuberous roots
  3. a truffle (any of various edible fungi, of the genus Tuber)

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativetūbertūbera
tuberēs
genitivetūberistūberum
dativetūberītūberibus
accusativetūber
tuberem		tūbera
tuberēs
ablativetūberetūberibus
vocativetūbertūbera
tuberēs

tūber, ĕris, n. from root tum, tumeo,
I. a hump, bump, swelling, tumor, protuberance on animal bodies, whether natural or caused by disease.
I. Lit.: cameli, Plin. 8, 18, 26, § 67: boum, id. 8, 45, 70, § 179: tubera ... anserino adipe curantur, tumors, id. 30, 12, 33, § 107; so id. 22, 24, 50, § 107; 26, 14, 87, § 139 al.; cf.: colaphis tuber est totum caput, is one boil, i. e. is full of boils, Ter. Ad. 2, 2, 37.—Prov.: ubi uber, ibi tuber, there are no roses without thorns, App. Flor. p. 359, 29: qui ne tuberibus propriis offendat amicum Postulat, ignoscet verrucis illius, boils ... warts, for great and slight faults, Hor. S. 1, 3, 73. —
II. Transf., of plants.
A. A knob, hard excrescence on wood: tuber utrumque arboris ejus, Plin. 16, 16, 27, § 68; 16, 43. 84, § 231; 25, 8, 54, § 95.—
B. A kind of mushroom, a truffle, moril, a favorite article of food among the Romans, Plin. 19, 2, 11, § 33: tenerrima verno esse, id. 19, 3, 13, § 37 sq.; Juv. 5, 116; 5, 119; 14, 7; Mart. 13, 50, 2.—
C. Tuber terrae.
1. Mole-hill, as a term of abuse, Petr. 58.—
2. Another name for the cyclaminon, Plin. 25, 9, 67, § 115.

Origins

Probably from Proto-Italic *tūβos, from Proto-Indo-European *tewh₂- (“to swell”) (though De Vaan is skeptical of the hypothetical morphology).

Descendants
  • Englishtuber
  • Portuguesetúbera
  • Spanishtubera
  • Spanishtobillofrom Vulgar Latin *tūbellum
  • Catalantòfonafrom Vulgar Latin *tufera
  • Occitantrufafrom Vulgar Latin *tufera
  • Catalantrufafrom Vulgar Latin *tufera
  • Frenchtruffefrom Vulgar Latin *tufera
  • Romaniantrufăfrom Vulgar Latin *tufera
  • Englishtrufflefrom Vulgar Latin *tufera
noun · masculinethird declension
tuber2
tuber m or f (genitive tuberis)
Classical[ˈtʊ.bɛr]Ecclesiastical[ˈtuː.ber]

Meaning

  1. femininefeminine usuallymasculinea kind of tree or bush of foreign origin, possibly the azarole (Crataegus azarolus)
  2. femininemasculinemasculine usuallythe fruit of the above tree

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativetubertuberēs
tūbera
genitivetuberistuberum
dativetuberītuberibus
accusativetuberemtuberēs
tūbera
ablativetuberetuberibus
vocativetubertuberēs
tūbera

tŭber, ĕris, m. and f.
I. Fem., a kind of apple-tree, Plin. 16, 25, 42, § 103; Col. 11, 2, 11; Pall. Jan. 15, 20; id. Sept. 14, 1.—
II. Masc., the fruit of this tree, Plin. 15, 14, 14, § 47; Mart. 13, 42, 1; 13, 43, 2; Suet. Dom. 16.

Origins

See tubus.

Quick answers

What does tūber mean in Latin?
tūber, a noun, means “a hump, bump, swelling, protuberance; excrescence; the cyclamen or other similar plants with tuberous roots”.
What is the genitive of tūber?
The genitive singular is tūberis. tūber is neuter, third declension.
How do you pronounce tūber?
In classical Latin, [ˈtuː.bɛr]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈtuː.ber].