LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininefirst declension

ungula

ungula f (genitive ungulae)
Classical[ˈʊŋ.ɡʊ.ɫa]Ecclesiastical[ˈuŋ.ɡu.la]

Meaning

  1. femininehoof, claw
    quadripedante putrem sonitū quatit ungula campumThen struck the hoofs of the steeds on the ground with a four-footed trampling.29 BCE – 19 BCE, Vergilius, Aeneis 8.596
  2. femininefigurativelya horse
  3. femininean aromatic spice

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeungula
ungella		ungulae
ungellae
genitiveungulae
ungellae		ungulārum
ungellārum
dativeungulae
ungellae		ungulīs
ungellīs
accusativeungulam
ungellam		ungulās
ungellās
ablativeungulā
ungellā		ungulīs
ungellīs
vocativeungula
ungella		ungulae
ungellae

ungŭla, ae, f. unguis.
I. Lit., a hoof, claw, talon; of a horse: totam quatit ungula terram, Enn. ap. Macr. S. 6, 1 (Ann. v. 231 Vahl.); Verg. A. 8, 596; cf. Cic. N. D. 3, 5, 11.—Of a swine, Cato, R. R. 158, 1; Cels. 2, 17; 4, 14.—Of oxen: bisulca, Plin. 8, 21, 30, § 72.—Of the claws of hens, Plaut. Aul. 3. 4, 8.—Of vultures' and eagles' talons, Plaut. Ps. 3, 2, 63.—Prov.: toto corpore atque omnibus ungulis, i. e., as we say, with tooth and nail, with might and main, Cic. Tusc. 2, 24, 56.—
II. Transf.
A. Poet., a horse: cum carceribus missos rapit ungula currus, Hor. S. 1, 1, 114; Mart. 12, 50, 5.—
B. A claw, an instrument of torture (late Lat.), Cod. Just. 9, 18, 7 fin.; Prud. στεφ. 1, 44; Hier. Ep. 1, 3.—
III. An aromatic spice, Vulg. Ecclus. 24, 21.

Origins

Seemingly from unguis m (“fingernail, talon”) + -ula (diminutive suffix), although it is not clearly diminutive in sense and its formation is irregular (a Latin diminutive normally matches the gender of the base noun). It may actually be inherited from a Proto-Indo-European formation such as *h₃n̥gʰ-l-h₂ that was created by attaching an l-suffix to this root early on, before Latin or Proto-Italic; compare Proto-Germanic *naglaz and other cognates listed at *h₃nṓgʰs.

Gallo-Romance
  • Frenchonglefrom Old French ongle
  • Catalanungla
  • Occitanongla
  • Occitanungla
  • Franco-Provençalonglle
  • Franc-Comtoisônyefrom Old French ongle
  • Walloononguefrom Old French ongle
  • Gasconunglafrom Occitan ongla
  • Gasconunclafrom Occitan ongla
Insular Romance
  • Sardinianungra
  • Sardinianunga
Ibero-Romance
  • Portugueseunhafrom Old Galician-Portuguese unlla
  • Spanishuña
  • Aragoneseungla
  • Asturianuña
  • Galicianuñafrom Old Galician-Portuguese unlla
  • Galicianunllafrom Old Galician-Portuguese unlla
  • Papiamentuuñafrom Old Galician-Portuguese unlla
  • Papiamentuhuñafrom Old Galician-Portuguese unlla
Balkano-Romance
  • Romanianunghie
  • Aromanianunglji
  • Aromanianunglje
  • Aromanianunghie
  • Istro-Romanianungľă
  • Megleno-Romanianungľă
Italo-Dalmatian
  • Italianunghia
  • Dalmatianjongla
  • Tarantinounghiefrom Neapolitan ogna
  • Sicilianugna
  • Venetanongia
  • Venetanonza
Borrowings
  • Englishungula
  • Interlinguaungula
Rhaeto-Romance
  • Friulianongule
  • Romanshungla
Gallo-Italic
  • Emilianónngia
  • Emilianongia
  • Emilianungia
  • Ligurianóngia
  • Lombardongia
  • Piedmonteseongia
  • Piedmonteseongie
  • Romagnolongia
  • Romagnolungia

Quick answers

What does ungula mean in Latin?
ungula, a noun, means “hoof, claw; a horse; an aromatic spice”.
What is the genitive of ungula?
The genitive singular is ungulae. ungula is feminine, first declension.
How do you pronounce ungula?
In classical Latin, [ˈʊŋ.ɡʊ.ɫa]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈuŋ.ɡu.la].