noun · femininethird declension
turris1
turris f (genitive turris)
Classical[ˈtʊr.rɪs]Ecclesiastical[ˈtur.ris]
Meaning
- femininetower, especially a military tower for siege, advanced to the walls on wheels, or one on a wall for defense; loosely used of a high building
Nōn coeptae adsurgunt turrēs, [...].
Towers, partially built, rise up no [higher], …. (Literally: [construction] having been begun.)29 BCE – 19 BCE, Vergilius, Aeneis 4.86 - Late Latinfemininerook
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
aedificium altumturris -is (f) — in IVLIANVS I: Gallia, ch. 14 and Evangelium secundum Marcum, ch. 18
aedificium altum angustumturris -is (f) — in Epistulae, ch. 8
domus altissima, ut in mūrīs urbiumturris -is (f) — in Metamorphoses I, ch. 2, 21
aedificium altum urbisturris -is (f) — in Aeneis, ch. 3
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | turris | turrēs |
| genitive | turris | turrium |
| dative | turrī | turribus |
| accusative | turrim turrem | turrēs turrīs |
| ablative | turrī turre | turribus |
| vocative | turris | turrēs |
Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book
- turres instituere, exstruere
- to raise towers.
- turrim excitare, erigere, facere
- to build a tower.
turris, is (acc. turrim and turrem; abl. turri and turre; v. Neue, Formenl. I. 196 sqq.), f., = τύρρις.
I. Lit.
A. In gen., a tower:
eā ballistā si pervortam turrim, Plaut. Bacch. 4, 4, 59: apud vetustam turrem, Att. ap. Prisc. p. 761 P.: Dionysius contionari ex turri altā solebat, Cic. Tusc. 5, 20, 59: in omni turre, Val. Fl. 1, 14: celsae graviore casu Decidunt turres, Hor. C. 2, 10, 11; cf. altae, id. Epod. 17, 70: Dardanae, id. C. 4, 6, 7: aënea, Ov. Am. 2, 19, 27.—B. In partic., a military tower, for defence of a camp or the walls of a city:
turrim in praecipiti stantem Adgressi ferro, Verg. A. 2, 460; Caes. B. G. 5, 40; 6, 29; id. B. C. 3, 9; Cic. Prov. Cons. 2, 4; for attack in a siege, Caes. B. G. 3, 21; Cic. Fam. 15, 4, 10; Liv. 32, 17, 17; on the backs of elephants, id. 37, 40, 4; on a ship, id. 37, 24, 6 et saep.—II. Transf.
A. For any high building, a castle, palace, citadel:
pauperum tabernas Regumque turres, Hor. C. 1, 4, 14; so, regia, Ov. M. 8, 14: Maecenatiana, Suet. Ner 38: maris vastum prospectet turribus aequor, Tib. 1, 7, 19.—C. A kind of battlearray when the troops were arranged in a square, Cato ap. Fest. s. v. serra, p. 344 Müll.; cf. Gell. 10, 9, 1.
Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
turris is (acc. im, rarely em; abl. ī, less freq. e), f
a tower: contionari ex turri altā: celsae graviore casu Decidunt turres, H.: aënea, O.: ex materiā . . . turres CXX excitantur (for the defence of the camp), Cs.: vineas turrīsque egit (in attacking a town), Cs.: addebant speciem (elephantis) tergo impositae turres, L.—A high building, tower, castle, palace, citadel: pauperum tabernas Regumque turrīs, H.: Regia, O.—A dove-cot, dove-tower, O.
Origins
Borrowed from Ancient Greek τύρρις (túrrhis) (Hesychius), τύρσις (túrsis), likely ultimately a Mediterranean substrate loan. Compare Τυρρηνός (Turrhēnós, “Etruscan”). Also compare the tribe Taurini.
West Iberian
- Portuguesetorrefrom Old Galician-Portuguese torre
- Spanishtorrefrom Old Spanish torre
- Aragonesetorre
- Asturiantorre
- Galiciantorrefrom Old Galician-Portuguese torre
Elsewhere
- Frenchtourfrom Old French tor
- Occitantorrefrom Old Occitan torre
- Walloontourfrom Old French tor
- Venetantor
- Venetantore
- Albanianturrë
Eastern Romance
- Romanianturn
- Aromanianturon
Italo-Dalmatian
- Italiantorre
- Maltesetorrifrom Sicilian turri
Proto-Celtic
- Englishtorfrom Old English tor
- Cornishtor
- Welshtŵrfrom Old Welsh *tor
- Irishtor
Gallo-Italic
- Emiliantårr
- Lombardtorr
Rhaeto-Romance
- Romanshtor
- Romanshtur
- Romanshtuor