volucra

Latin

Etymology

From volvō (“I roll”). Compare convolvulus, involvulus. De Vaan and Sen both consider its development to be connected to that of volucer (“flying, winged”).[1][2]

Pronunciation
  • (Classical) IPA(key): /u̯oˈluː.kra/, [u̯ɔˈɫ̪uːkrä] or IPA(key): /ˈu̯o.lu.kra/, [ˈu̯ɔɫ̪ʊkrä]
  • (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /voˈlu.kra/, [voˈluːkrä] or IPA(key): /ˈvo.lu.kra/, [ˈvɔːlukrä]
  • Short u is given by De Vaan and seems to be implied by Sen's explanation of the etymology.[1][2]

Noun

volū̆cra f (genitive volū̆crae); first declension

  1. A kind of worm or caterpillar that wraps itself up in vine-leaves
    • 4 CE – c. 70 CE, Columella, De Arboribus 15.1.Genus est animalis, volucra appellatur; id fere praerodit teneros adhuc pampinos et uvas.

Declension

First-declension noun.

Case Singular Plural
Nominative volū̆cra volū̆crae
Genitive volū̆crae volū̆crārum
Dative volū̆crae volū̆crīs
Accusative volū̆cram volū̆crās
Ablative volū̆crā volū̆crīs
Vocative volū̆cra volū̆crae

References
  1. De Vaan, Michiel (2008), “volvō, -ere”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 690: “Short -u- appears to be preserved in volucra / -is with its specialized meaning 'caterpillar' < *'wrapping itself up'.”
  2. Sen, Ranjan (2015) Syllable and Segment in Latin, Oxford University Press, pages 107, 116

Further reading
  • “volucra”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • volucra in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette
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