LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
adjectivethird-declension two-termination adjective

volūbilis1

volūbilis (neuter volūbile)
Classical[wɔˈɫuː.bɪ.lɪs]Ecclesiastical[voˈluː.bi.lis]

Meaning

  1. literallytwo terminationturning, spinning, whirling, rolling, revolving (that turns itself around)
  2. figurativelytwo terminationrapid, fluent, voluble
  3. figurativelytwo terminationchangeable, mutable

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativevolūbilisvolūbilisvolūbile
genitivevolūbilisvolūbilisvolūbilis
dativevolūbilīvolūbilīvolūbilī
accusativevolūbilemvolūbilemvolūbile
ablativevolūbilīvolūbilīvolūbilī
vocativevolūbilisvolūbilisvolūbile
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativevolūbilēsvolūbilēsvolūbilia
genitivevolūbiliumvolūbiliumvolūbilium
dativevolūbilibusvolūbilibusvolūbilibus
accusativevolūbilīs
volūbilēs		volūbilīs
volūbilēs		volūbilia
ablativevolūbilibusvolūbilibusvolūbilibus
vocativevolūbilēsvolūbilēsvolūbilia

vŏlūbĭlis, e, adj. volvo,
I. that is turned round or (more freq.) that turns itself round, turning, spinning, whirling, circling, rolling, revolving.
I. Lit.: buxum, i. e. a top, Verg. A. 7, 382: caelum, Cic. Univ. 6 fin.: sol, Prud. Cath. 3 praef.: nexus (anguis), Ov. M. 3, 41: volubilis et rotundus deus, Cic. N. D. 2, 17, 46: figurae aquae, Lucr. 3, 190: procursus, id. 2, 455: aquae, Hor. C. 4, 1, 40; cf.: labitur (sc. amnis), et labetur in omne volubilis aevum, id. Ep. 1, 2, 43: aurum, i. e. the golden apple, Ov. M. 10, 667; cf. id. H. 20, 209: electrum, Plin. 37, 3, 11, § 42: pila, App. M. 2, p. 116.—
II. Trop.
A. Of speech, rapid, fluent, voluble (the figure taken from rolling waters): vis volubilis orationis, Auct. Her. 3, 14, 25: oratio, Cic. Brut. 28, 108: rotunda volubilisque sententia, Gell. 11, 13, 4.—Transf., of the speaker: homo volubilis quādam praecipiti celeritate dicendi, Cic. Fl. 20, 48; id. Brut. 27, 105; id. Fragm. ap. Prisc. p. 617 P.—
B. Of fate, changeable, mutable: vaga volubilisque fortuna, Cic. Mil. 26, 69; cf.: cum videamus tot varietates tam volubili orbe circumagi, Plin. Ep. 4, 24, 6: fortunae volubiles casus, Amm. 22, 1, 1: volubilium casuum diritas, id. 26, 1, 3.—Adv.: vŏlūbĭ-lĭter.
1. Swiftly rolling, spinning, Amm. 20, 11, 26; cf. Non. p. 4, 1.—
2. Trop., of speech, rapidly, fluently, volubly: funditur numerose et volubiliter oratio, Cic. Or. 62, 210.

Origins

From vol|vō, ~vere, ~vī, ~ūtum (“to turn around, to roll”) + -bil|is, ~e.

Descendants
  • Catalanvoluble
  • Englishvoluble
  • Englishvolubile
  • Frenchvolubile
  • Romanianvolubilfrom French volubile
  • Italianvolubile
  • Portuguesevolúvel
  • Spanishvoluble
  • Galicianvoluble

In English words that came into English from volūbilis

  • volublevolūbilis
  • volubilityvolūbilitās
proper noun · femininethird declension
Volubilis2
Volubilis f sg (genitive Volubilis)
Classical[wɔˈɫʊ.bɪ.lɪs]Ecclesiastical[voˈluː.bi.lis]

Meaning

  1. femininesingularA city in Mauritania on the road from Tocolosida to Tingis

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeVolubilis—
genitiveVolubilis—
dativeVolubilī—
accusativeVolubilem—
ablativeVolubile—
vocativeVolubilis—
locativeVolubilī
Volubile		—

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

GeographyVolubilisVolubilis (Οὐολουβιλίς, Ptol. 4.1.14), a town of Mauretania Tingitana, seated on the river Subur, and on the road from Tocolosida to Tingis, from the …

Quick answers

What does volūbilis mean in Latin?
volūbilis, a adjective, means “turning, spinning, whirling, rolling, revolving (that turns itself around); rapid, fluent, voluble; changeable, mutable”.
How do you pronounce volūbilis?
In classical Latin, [wɔˈɫuː.bɪ.lɪs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [voˈluː.bi.lis].