LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective

urbānus1

urbānus (feminine urbāna, neuter urbānum, comparative urbānior, superlative urbānissimus)
Classical[ʊrˈbaː.nʊs]Ecclesiastical[urˈbaː.nus]

Meaning

  1. adjectiveof or belonging to a city; urban
  2. adjectivefond of, or devoted to cities
  3. adjectivecultivated, sophisticated, polished, refined
  4. adjectivebold, forward, impudent
  5. adjectiveelegant, refined, choice

In the readers how our graded readers gloss it

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativeurbānusurbānaurbānum
genitiveurbānīurbānaeurbānī
dativeurbānōurbānaeurbānō
accusativeurbānumurbānamurbānum
ablativeurbānōurbānāurbānō
vocativeurbāneurbānaurbānum
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativeurbānīurbānaeurbāna
genitiveurbānōrumurbānārumurbānōrum
dativeurbānīsurbānīsurbānīs
accusativeurbānōsurbānāsurbāna
ablativeurbānīsurbānīsurbānīs
vocativeurbānīurbānaeurbāna

urbānus, a, um, adj. urbs,
I. of or belonging to the city or town, city-, town- (opp. rusticus; cf.: urbicus, oppidanus).
I. Lit.
A. Adj.: nostri majores non sine causā praeponebant rusticos Romanos urbanis, Varr. R. R. 2, praef. § 1: rustica et urbana vita, id. ib. 3, 1, 1: vita (opp. rustica), Quint. 2, 4, 24; cf. Ter. Ad. 1, 1, 17: urbani assidui cives, quos scurras vocant, Plaut. Trin. 1, 2, 165: scurra, id. Most. 1, 1, 14: leges, id. Rud. 4, 3, 85: tribus, Cic. de Or. 1, 9, 38: praetor, Caes. B. C. 3, 20: plebes, Sall. C. 37, 4: servitia, id. ib. 24, 4: exercitus, Liv. 27, 3, 9: administratio rei publicae (opp. provincialis), Cic. Q. Fr. 1, 1, 15, § 43: res, Plaut. Cas. 1, 13; Caes. B. G. 7, 6: motus, id. ib. 7, 1: luxus, Tac. A. 2, 44: praedia, land and houses, all land covered by buildings (v. praedium), Dig. 50, 16, 198; 8, 1, 1; cf. ib. 8, tit. 2: fundus, Cato, R. R. 8, 2: rus, Just. 31, 2: cohortes, Dig. 25, 1, 8, § 9.—
2. Subst.: urbā-nus, i, m., an inhabitant of a city, a city man, citizen: urbani fiunt rustici, Plaut. Merc. 4, 3, 15 sq.: omnes urbani, rustici, Cic. Fin. 2, 23, 77: sermo omnis non modo urbanorum, sed etiam rusticorum, id. Or. 24, 81: otiosi, Liv. 5, 20, 6: obrepere urbanis, Plin. Ep. 9, 20, 2.—
B. Esp., devoted to the city, fond of city life: diligere secessum, quem tu nimis urbanus es, nisi concupiscis, Plin. Ep. 2, 17, 29.—
II. Transf., in the city fashion, in the city style, citizenlike, both in a good and a bad sense.
A. In a good sense.
1. Polished, refined, cultivated, courteous, affable, urbane (syn.: comis, humanus): hominem non solum sapientem, verum etiam, ut nunc loquimur urbanum, Cic. Fam. 3, 8, 3; cf. Quint. 8, 3, 34 sq.; so Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 6, § 17.—
b. Transf., of plants, improved, cultivated, ornamental: sunt arborum quaedam urbaniores, quas his placet nominibus distinguere. Hae mites, quae fructu atque aliqua dote umbrarumve officio humaniusjuvant, non improbe dicantur urbanae. Plin. 16, 19, 32, § 78: acanthi topiariae et urbanae herbae, id. 22, 22, 34, § 76.—
2. Of speech.
a. In gen., refined, polished, elegant. nice, choice: in vocibus nostrorum oratorum recinit quiddam et resonat urbanius, Cic. Brut. 46, 171: genus dicendi, Quint. 2, 8, 4: os facile, explanatum, jucundum, urbanum, id est, in quo nulla neque rusticitas neque peregrinitas resonet, id. 11, 3, 30: distinctior et urbanior et altior Cicero, Tac. Or. 18.—
b. In partic., of wit, witty, humorous, facetious: urbanus homo erit, cujus multa bene dicta responsaque erunt: et qui in sermonibus, circulis, conviviis, item in contionibus, omni denique loco ridicule commodeque dicet, Domit. Mars. ap. Quint. 6, 3, 105: dictum per se urbanum, id. 6, 3, 54: circumfertur Marcii Philippi velut urbanissimum factum atque dictum, Col. 8, 16, 3: qui est in isto genere urbanissimus, Cic. Cael. 15, 36: Romani veteres atque urbani sales, id. Fam. 9, 15, 2: homines lauti et urbani, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 6, § 17: hic tibi comis et urbanus liberque videtur, witty, clever, Hor. S. 1, 4, 90: urbanus coepit haberi, id. Ep. 1, 15, 27: in senatu dicax et urbanus et bellus, Plin. Ep. 4, 25, 3: urbanos qui illa censuerunt dicam an miseros? Dicerem urbanos, si senatum deceret urbanitas, id. ib. 8, 6, 3.—
B. In a bad sense, bold, forward, impudent: frontis ad urbanae descendi praemia, Hor. Ep. 1, 9, 11: audacia, Cic. Prov. Cons. 4, 8.—Adv.: urbānē (acc. to II. A.).
1. Courteously, civilly, affably, politely, urbanely: severe et graviter et prisce agere, an remisse ac leniter et urbane, Cic. Cael. 14, 33: urbanius agere, id. ib. 15, 36: urbanissime et prudentissime adjuvit, Treb. Gallien. 14.—More freq.,
2. Of speech, wittily, acutely, elegantly, happily: aliquem facete et urbane ridere, Cic. Fin. 1, 11, 39: bene et urbane dicere, Quint. 6, 3, 42; 5, 7, 26; 6, 1, 46 al.: interrogare, id. 11, 3, 126: emendare, id. 8, 3, 54: urbanius elabi, id. 2, 11, 2: urbanissime respondere, Gell. 15, 5, 3.

Origins

Proto-Indo-European *werbʰ-der. Proto-Italic *worβis? Proto-Indo-European *gʰerdʰ- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *gʰórdʰosder.? Latin urbs Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Italic *-nos Proto-Italic *-ānos Latin -ānus Latin urbānus From urbs (“city”) + -ānus. Compare typologically cīvīlis (see there for more).

Descendants
  • Catalanurbà
  • Englishurban
  • Englishurbane
  • Frenchurbain
  • Italianurbano
  • Portugueseurbano
  • Romanianurban
  • Spanishurbano
  • Galicianurbano
  • Piedmonteseurban

In English words that came into English from urbānus

  • urbanurbānus
  • suburbansuburbanus
  • urbaneurbānus
  • urbanityurbānitās
  • inurbaneinurbānus
noun · masculinesecond declension
urbānus2
urbānus m (genitive urbānī)
Classical[ʊrˈbaː.nʊs]Ecclesiastical[urˈbaː.nus]

Meaning

  1. a city dweller, citizen

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeurbānusurbānī
genitiveurbānīurbānōrum
dativeurbānōurbānīs
accusativeurbānumurbānōs
ablativeurbānōurbānīs
vocativeurbāneurbānī

Origins

Proto-Indo-European *werbʰ-der. Proto-Italic *worβis? Proto-Indo-European *gʰerdʰ- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *gʰórdʰosder.? Latin urbs Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Italic *-nos Proto-Italic *-ānos Latin -ānus Latin urbānus From urbs (“city”) + -ānus. Compare typologically cīvīlis (see there for more).

proper noun · masculinesecond declension
Urbānus3
Urbānus m sg (genitive Urbānī)
Classical[ʊrˈbaː.nʊs]Ecclesiastical[urˈbaː.nus]

Meaning

  1. a male given name, equivalent to English Urban, the name of several early popes

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeUrbānus—
genitiveUrbānī—
dativeUrbānō—
accusativeUrbānum—
ablativeUrbānō—
vocativeUrbāne—

Origins

From urbānus (“urbane; related to the city”), from urbs (“city”).

Quick answers

What does urbānus mean in Latin?
urbānus, a adjective, means “of or belonging to a city; urban; fond of, or devoted to cities”.
How do you pronounce urbānus?
In classical Latin, [ʊrˈbaː.nʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [urˈbaː.nus].
Which English words come from urbānus?
English words that go back to Latin urbānus include urban, urbane, suburban, urbanity and inurbane.