LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininefirst declension

urtīca

urtīca f (genitive urtīcae)
Classical[ʊrˈtiː.ka]Ecclesiastical[urˈtiː.ka]

Meaning

  1. stinging nettle
  2. sea nettle
  3. figurativelya (sexual) itch, prurience

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeurtīcaurtīcae
genitiveurtīcaeurtīcārum
dativeurtīcaeurtīcīs
accusativeurtīcamurtīcās
ablativeurtīcāurtīcīs
vocativeurtīcaurtīcae

urtīca, ae, f. uro.
I. Lit.
A. A nettle, stinging-nettle, Plin. 21, 15, 55, § 92; 22, 13, 15, § 31; Cat. 44, 15; Hor. Ep. 1, 12, 8; Pers. 6, 70 al.—
B. Transf., a sea-nettle, a kind of zoophyte, Plin. 9, 45, 68, § 146; also called marina urtica, Plaut. Rud. 2, 1, 9.—
II. Trop., lustful desire, pruriency, Juv. 2, 128; 11, 166 (168).

Origins

Unknown. Ernout and Meillet rejects association with ūrō (“to burn”) as a folk etymology, since that verb etymologically has a stem ending in -s- and so should have yielded *ū̆stīca instead.

Ibero-Romance
  • Portugueseurtiga
  • Portugueseortiga
  • Spanishortiga
  • Ansotanoxordiga
  • Belsetánixordica
  • Chesoxordiga
  • Chistabínixordica
  • Chistabínixordiga
  • Panticutoxordica
  • Panticutoxordiga
Italo-Dalmatian
  • Italianurtica
  • Italianortica
  • Neapolitanardica
  • Neapolitanradica
  • Calabreseordicafrom Sicilian ardica
  • Calabreselurdigafrom Sicilian ardica
  • Calabreseardicafrom Sicilian ardica
  • Venetanortiga
  • Venetanoltriga
  • Venetanurtiga
Balkano-Romance
  • Romanianurzică
  • Aromanianurticã
  • Aromanianurdzicã
  • Aromanianurdzãcã
  • Aromanianurdzeche
Northern Gallo-Romance
  • Frenchortiefrom Old French *ortige
  • Franco-Provençalortia
  • Bourguignonourtigefrom Old French *ortige
Southern Gallo-Romance
  • Catalanortiga
  • Auvergnatortija
  • Auvergnatotrija
  • Auvergnatórtia
  • Gasconortiga
  • Gasconortica
  • Gasconautriga
  • Gasconhortiga
  • Gasconhortic
  • Languedocienortiga
Rhaeto-Romance
  • Friulianurtie
  • Ladinortìa
  • Romanshurtia
Gallo-Italian
  • Emilianurtiga
  • Emilianortiga
  • Ligurianòrtîga
  • Ligurianortîga
  • Ligurianéurtîa
  • Lombardurtiga
  • Lombardurtic
  • Piedmonteseurtija
  • Piedmonteseurtia
  • Piedmonteseaurtia
Borrowings
  • TranslingualUrtica

Quick answers

What does urtīca mean in Latin?
urtīca, a noun, means “stinging nettle; sea nettle; a (sexual) itch, prurience”.
What is the genitive of urtīca?
The genitive singular is urtīcae. urtīca is feminine, first declension.
How do you pronounce urtīca?
In classical Latin, [ʊrˈtiː.ka]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [urˈtiː.ka].