LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · neutersecond declension

venēnum

venēnum n (genitive venēnī)
Classical[wɛˈneː.nũː]Ecclesiastical[veˈnɛː.num]
Mille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. a potion, juice
  2. poison, venom
    [...] falcibus et messae ad lūnam quaeruntur aēnīs pūbentēs herbae nigrī cum lacte venēnī; [...].And ripening herbs are brought out, having been reaped with bronze sickles at [the optimal] moon [phase], ill-omened with their milky venom.29 BCE – 19 BCE, Vergilius, Aeneis 4.513–514

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

quod bibis et necat; venēna serpentium.
venēnum -ī n — in Mille Verba, ch. Vīta et Mors
malum quod necat, in cibō datum
venēnum -ī (n) — in Metamorphoses I, ch. 1, 5

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Toxicum · Venenum · Virus

Toxicum (from taxus) denotes poison, as a mere term in natural history, without accessory reference; venenum, as an artificial poison, of a sweet and tempting flavor; virus (εἶαρ, ἰός), as a noxious and distasteful juice or drink. Liv. ii. 52. Tribuni plebem agitare suo veneno, agraria lege; comp. with Cic. Læl. 23. Evomat virus acerbitatis suæ. (v. 355.)

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativevenēnumvenēna
venīna
genitivevenēnī
venīnī		venēnōrum
venīnōrum
dativevenēnō
venīnō		venēnīs
venīnīs
accusativevenēnumvenēna
venīna
ablativevenēnō
venīnō		venēnīs
venīnīs
vocativevenēnumvenēna
venīna

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

dare venenum in pane
to give a person poison in bread.
venenum sumere, bibere
to take poison.
veneno sibi mortem consciscere
to poison oneself.

vĕnēnum, i, n., orig., like φάρμακον, any thing, esp. any liquid substance, that powerfully affects or changes the condition of the body,
I. a potion, juice, drug (cf. virus).
I. In gen.: qui venenum dicit, adicere debet, utrum malum an bonum; nam et medicamenta venena sunt: quia eo nomine omne continetur, quod adhibitum naturam ejus, cui adhibitum esset, mutat. Cum id quod nos venenum appellamus, Graeci φάρμακον dicunt, apud illos quoque tam medicamenta, quam quae nocent hoc nomine continentur, etc., Dig. 50, 16, 236; cf. ib. 48, 8, 3.—Obsolete, however, in this general signif.: qui venenum malum fecit fecerit, an old legal formula in Cic. Clu. 54, 148: avaritia pecuniae studium habet: ea quasi venenis malis imbuta corpus animum que virilem effeminat, Sall. C. 11, 3.—
II. In partic.
A. In a bad sense, like φάρμακον (freq. and class.).
1. A potion that destroys life, poison, venom (cf. toxicum).
a. Lit.: ipsius veneni quae ratio fingitur? ubi quaesitum est? quem ad modum paratum? cui, quo in loco traditum? Cic. Cael. 24, 58; 21, 51; id. Clu. 60, 165; 61, 169; id. Phil. 11, 6, 13; id. N. D. 3, 33, 81; id. Tusc. 1, 40, 96: nobis veratrum est acre venenum, Lucr. 4, 638; Verg. A. 4, 514; Hor. C. 1, 37, 28; id. Epod. 3, 5; 5, 22; id. S. 2, 3, 131: dare, Liv. 40, 24, 5.—
b. Trop., mischief, evil, destruction (rare, and not in Cic.): discordia ordinum est venenum urbis hujus, Liv. 3, 67, 6: regis Rupili pus atque venenum, i e. virulence, Hor. S. 1, 7, 1.—Of bad poems, Cat. 44, 12; 77, 5; cf.: humili veneno laedere aliquem, Stat. Th. 1, 171: venena linguarum, Treb. Poll. Trig. Tyr. 30: lingua est suffusa veneno, Ov. M. 2, 777.—
2. Lit., a magical potion, charm: item ut Medea Peliam concoxit senem: Quem medicamento et suis venenis dicitur Fecisse rursus ex sene adulescentulum, Plaut. Ps. 3, 2, 81: dira Medeae, Hor. Epod. 5, 62: Colcha, id. C. 2, 13, 8: Colchica, id. Epod. 17, 35; Cic. Or. 37, 129; Hor. C. 1, 27, 22; id. Epod. 5, 22; 5, 87; id. S. 1, 8, 19; 2, 1, 48; Ov. M. 7, 209; 14, 55; 14, 403: qui quodam quasi veneno perficiat, ut veros heredes moveat, Cic. Off. 3, 19, 76: id quod amatorium appellatur, venenum est, Dig. 48, 8, 3.—
b. Trop., charm, seduction: aetas et corpus tenerum et morigeratio, Haec sunt venena formosarum mulierum, Afran. ap. Non. 2, 7: intactos isto satius tentare veneno (i. e. amore), Prop. 2, 12 (3, 3), 19: blandum, Sil. 7, 453; 11, 309: occultum inspires ignem fallasque veneno (i. e. amoris), Verg. A. 1, 688.—
B. In a good sense.
1. A coloring material, a color, dye, paint (poet.): alba nec Assyrio fucatur lana veneno, Verg. G. 2, 465; Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 207; Ov. R. Am. 351.— *
2. A drug used in embalming, Luc. 8, 691.

Origins

From Proto-Italic *weneznom (“lust, desire”), from Proto-Indo-European *wenh₁- (“to strive, wish, love”). See also Sanskrit वनति (vanati, “gain, wish, erotic lust”), Latin Venus, veneror, venia, vēnor and English wish.

Elsewhere
  • Catalanverè
  • Italianveleno
  • Occitanveren
  • Romanianvenin
  • Aragonesevereno
  • Emilianvlaggn
  • Emilianvlen
  • Emilianvlei
  • Istriotvanen
  • Piedmontesevelen
Borrowings
  • Englishvenene
  • Portugueseveneno
  • Albanianvrer
  • Proto-Brythonic*gwenuɨn
Gallo-Romance
  • Catalanverí
  • Occitanverin
  • Old Frenchvenim
  • Gasconvenim
  • Gasconverim
  • Gasconvrim
Ibero-Romance
  • Spanishvenenofrom Old Spanish venino
  • Sardinianvenenufrom Old Spanish venino
  • Asturianvenín
  • Old Galician-Portuguesevinino
Balkan Romance
  • Romanianvenin
  • Aromanianvirin
Unsorted
  • Dutchvenijn
  • Galicianveleno
Padanian
  • Old Ligurianvenim
  • Lombardveninfrom Old Lombard venin
  • Lombardverinfrom Old Lombard venin
  • Lombardvenilfrom Old Lombard venin
  • Piedmontesevrim
  • Venetanverin

Quick answers

What does venēnum mean in Latin?
venēnum, a noun, means “a potion, juice; poison, venom”.
What is the genitive of venēnum?
The genitive singular is venēnī. venēnum is neuter, second declension.
How do you pronounce venēnum?
In classical Latin, [wɛˈneː.nũː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [veˈnɛː.num].