LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · neutersecond declension

unguentum

unguentum n (genitive unguentī)
Classical[ʊŋˈɡʷɛn.tũː]Ecclesiastical[uŋˈɡʷɛn.tum]

Meaning

  1. neuterointment; perfume; unguent.
    nam unguentum dabo, quod meae puellae, donarunt Veneres Cupidinesque, quod tu cum olfacies, deos rogabis, totum ut te faciant, Fabulle, nasum. for I will give you perfume, which to my girlwhich when you smell it, you will ask the gods, to make you, Fabullus, all nosec. 84 BCE – 54 BCE, Catullus, Carmen 13 11-14

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

oleum odōrātum
unguentum -ī (n) — in Epistulae, ch. 6

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeunguentumunguenta
genitiveunguentīunguentōrum
unguentum
dativeunguentōunguentīs
accusativeunguentumunguenta
ablativeunguentōunguentīs
vocativeunguentumunguenta

unguentum, i (
I. gen. plur. unguentūm, Plaut. Curc. 1, 2, 5; id. Poen. 3, 3, 88), n. unguo, an ointment, unguent, perfume: non omnes possunt olere unguenta exotica, Plaut. Most. 1, 1, 41; 1, 3, 115 sq.; Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 25, § 62; id. Cat. 2, 3, 5; id. Sest. 8, 18; id. Cael. 11, 27; id. Tusc. 5, 21, 62; Hor. C. 2, 3, 13; 2, 7, 23; id. A. P. 375; Prop. 3, 16 (4, 15), 23; Ov. F. 3, 561; Mart. 11, 54, 1; Plin. 1, 1, 1, § 3.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₃engʷ-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₃éngʷn̥
  3. Latinunguentum

Latin unguentum Extended from unguen (“fat, grease, ointment”), from the root of unguō (“to smear, to anoint”). For the ending, compare -men and -mentum.

Descendants
  • Catalanungüent
  • Englishunguent
  • Italianunguento
  • Frenchonguentfrom Old French onguent
  • Portugueseunguentofrom Old Galician-Portuguese enguento
  • Spanishungüento
  • Galicianungüentofrom Old Galician-Portuguese enguento
  • Galicianingüentofrom Old Galician-Portuguese enguento

In English words that came into English from unguentum

  • unguentunguentum
  • unguentariumunguentarium
  • unguentaryunguentarius

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

AntiquitiesUnguentumUnguentum (ἔλαιον, μύρον, σμῆμα or σμῆγμα). The term includes all the products of the perfumer, whether used for health or luxury; oils, ointments, po…

Quick answers

What does unguentum mean in Latin?
unguentum, a noun, means “ointment; perfume; unguent.”.
What is the genitive of unguentum?
The genitive singular is unguentī. unguentum is neuter, second declension.
How do you pronounce unguentum?
In classical Latin, [ʊŋˈɡʷɛn.tũː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [uŋˈɡʷɛn.tum].
Where does unguentum come from?
Proto-Indo-European *h₃engʷ- → Proto-Indo-European *h₃éngʷn̥ → Latin unguentum.
Which English words come from unguentum?
English words that go back to Latin unguentum include unguent, unguentarium and unguentary.