LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · neuterthird declension

vellus

vellus n (genitive velleris)
Classical[ˈwɛl.lʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈvɛl.lus]

Meaning

  1. neuterthe wool shorn from a sheep; fleece; wool
  2. neuterthe hide or pelt of an animal
    ‘nēve minus multōs redigam, quam māne fuērunt,‘‘And may I never drive back fewer [sheep] than there were in the morning, and may I never groan as I bring back hides snatched from the wolf.’’ (A shepherd’s prayer to Pales.)8 CE, Ovidius, Fasti 4.765–766

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Tergus · Cutis · Pellis · Vellus

Tergus and cutis denote the outermost covering of the flesh, as merely bare skin; tergus (from στορχάζειν, to enclose), the coarse skin of an animal, which covers the soft and eatable flesh, like δέρμα; cutis (κύτος), the finer skin of human beings, which protects the sensitive flesh like χρώς; whereas pellis and vellus denote the flesh together with a covering; pellis (from palla) more bristly, consisting of pili, like δορά; vellus (from εἶλαρ? or villus?), more woolly, consisting of villi, like μαλλός. Men have cutis; elephants, snakes, etc. tergora; lions, goats, dogs, etc., pelles; sheep, vellera. Juven. x. 192. Deformem pro cute pellem. (v. 17.)

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativevellusvellera
genitivevellerisvellerum
dativevellerīvelleribus
accusativevellusvellera
ablativevellerevelleribus
vocativevellusvellera

vellus, ĕris, n. Sanscr. ura for vara, sheep; root var, to cover; Gr. ἔρ-ιον, εἶρος, wool; Goth. vulla; Germ. Wolle.
I. Lit., wool shorn off, a fleece: pastores Palatini ex ovibus ante tonsuram inventam vellere lanam sunt soliti: a quo vellera dicuntur, Varr. L. L. 5, §§ 54 and 130 Müll.; id. R. R. 2, 11, 9; Plin. 27, 7, 28, § 50; Lucr. 6, 504; Hor. Epod. 12, 21; id. Ep. 1, 10, 27; Ov. M. 6, 21; 14, 264.—
II. Transf.
1. The skin of a sheep with the wool on it, the fell or pelt entire, Col. 7, 4, 4; Tib. 2, 1, 62; Verg. E. 3, 95; id. A. 7, 95; Ov. H. 18, 144; id. F. 5, 102.
2. The hide, pelt of any other animal: fulvi leonis, Ov. F. 2, 340; cf. id. ib. 5, 396: cervina, id. M. 6, 593; cf. id. ib. 3, 197: ferina, id. ib. 11, 4.—
3. A sheep: cultrosque in guttura velleris atri Conicit, Ov. M. 7, 244; cf. Calp. Ecl. 2, 7.—
B. Of woolly material.
1. Wool, down: velleraque ut foliis depectant tenuia Seres, i. e. the fleeces or flocks of silk, Verg. G. 2, 121.—
2. Of light, fleecy clouds: tenuia nec lanae per caelum vellera ferri, Verg. G. 1, 397; so Luc. 4, 124.—
3. Of snow-flakes, Mart. 4, 3, 1.—
C. Of things made of wool: Parnasia, woollen bands or fillets, Stat. S. 5, 3, 8.

Origins

Traditionally derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₂welh₁- (“hair, wool”), and connected to Latin lāna (“wool”) and Gaulish vlana. This is favored by Meiser, but rejected by Schrijver and De Vaan, the latter who instead proposes the word as a derivative of vellō (“to pluck out”).

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  • Italianveglio
  • Italianvello
  • Portuguesevelo
  • Sicilianveḍḍu

Quick answers

What does vellus mean in Latin?
vellus, a noun, means “the wool shorn from a sheep; fleece; wool”.
What is the genitive of vellus?
The genitive singular is velleris. vellus is neuter, third declension.
How do you pronounce vellus?
In classical Latin, [ˈwɛl.lʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈvɛl.lus].