LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininefirst declension

valva

valva f (genitive valvae)
Classical[ˈwaɫ.wa]Ecclesiastical[ˈval.va]
valvula f.; sg. nom. f.; sg. abl. f.; sg. voc. f.

Meaning

  1. femininedouble or folding door (in plural)
  2. feminineone leaf of such doors

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

forēs duplicēs
valvae -ārum (f) — in Epistulae, ch. 8

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Ostium · Janua · Fores · Valvæ

Ostium and janua denote the door, as the opening through which one goes in and out; ostium, as the most general expression for any door, like θύρα; janua, as a particular expression only for a house-door; whereas fores and valvæ denote the leaves of a door, which serve to close the opening; fores, of ordinary doors, like θυρίδες; valvæ, of stately buildings and temples, as double or folding doors. Tac. Ann. xiv. 8. Anicetus refracta janua obvios servorum adripit, donec ad fores cubiculi veniret. (v. 214.)

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativevalva
valvula		valvae
valvulae
genitivevalvae
valvulae		valvārum
valvulārum
dativevalvae
valvulae		valvīs
valvulīs
accusativevalvam
valvulam		valvās
valvulās
ablativevalvā
valvulā		valvīs
valvulīs
vocativevalva
valvula		valvae
valvulae

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

valvas (portam) obstruere
to barricade a door (a city-gate).

valva, ae, f.,
I. the leaf of a door, a folding-door; sing. rare, Pompon. ap. Non. 19, 23; Petr. 96; Sen. Herc. Fur. 999.—Mostly plur.: valvae, ārum, the leaves, folds, or valves of a door, a folding-door, Cic. Div. 1, 34, 74; Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 43, § 94; 2, 4, 56, § 124; Caes. B. C. 3, 105; Juv. 4, 63; Prop. 4 (5), 8, 51; Ov. M. 1, 172; 2, 4; Hor. S. 2, 6, 112; Plin. Ep. 2, 17, 5; 5, 6, 19; 5, 6, 38.

Origins

Disputed. De Vaan suggests a derivation from Proto-Italic *wolVwā- (“leaf of a door; folding”), from Proto-Indo-European *wol-ew-o- (“turning”), from a PIE stem *welHu-, itself—according to Schrijver—perhaps an extension of the root *welH- (“to turn, wind, round”). Schrijver has also proposed a derivation from Proto-Italic *wolawā, from Proto-Indo-European *wolHweh₂, from the same root *welH-. If either etymology is accepted, the term is related with with volvō (“to roll”), English valva, valve and vulva. Schrijver, however, doubts this etymology on semantic grounds.

Descendants
  • Englishvalva
  • Frenchvalve
  • Italianvalva
  • Italianvalvolafrom New Latin valvula
  • Portugueseválvulafrom New Latin valvula
  • Spanishválvulafrom New Latin valvula
  • Englishvalvefrom Middle English valve
  • Spanishvalva
  • Sicilianvàrbulafrom New Latin valvula
  • Cantonese嘩佬from Middle English valve

Quick answers

What does valva mean in Latin?
valva, a noun, means “double or folding door (in plural); one leaf of such doors”.
What is the genitive of valva?
The genitive singular is valvae. valva is feminine, first declension.
How do you pronounce valva?
In classical Latin, [ˈwaɫ.wa]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈval.va].