basilicus

Latin

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek βᾰσῐλῐκός (băsĭlĭkós, “royal”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [baˈsɪ.lɪ.kʊs]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [baˈs̬iː.li.kus]

Adjective

basilicus (feminine basilica, neuter basilicum, adverb basilicē); first/second-declension adjective

1. (Plautine, Old Latin) royal, princely

   Synonym: rēgālis

   • c. 200 BCE – 190 BCE, Plautus, Captivi 4.2.31–32:

     Basilicas edictiones atque imperiosas habet:
     satur homost, habet profecto in ventre confidentiam.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • c. 211 BCE, Plautus, Rudens 2.4.18:

     At ego basilicus sum: quem nisi oras, guttam non feres.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • c. 195 BCE, Plautus, Trinummus 4.3.23–24:

     Di immortales, basilica hic quidem facinora inceptat loqui.
     Vetera quaerit, vetera amare hunc more maiorum scias.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

2. especially, in names of species or medicines:
   1. basilica vītis
      • 4 CE – c. 70 CE, Columella, De Re Rustica 3.2.19:

        Possunt tamen etiam secundae notae vites proventu et ubertate commendari, qualis est Biturica, qualis basilica, quarum minorem cocolubem vocant Hispani, longe omnium primis utraeque proximae.

        (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   2. basilicus nux
      • c. 431 CE, Macrobius, Saturnalia 3.18.7:

        Nam vir doctus Oppius in libro quem fecit de silvestribus p345 arboribus sic ait: 'Heracleotica haec nux, quam quidam cataneam nominant, itemque Pontica nux atque etiam quae dicuntur basilicae iuglandes germina atque flores agunt similiter isdem temporibus quibus Graecae nuces.'

        (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   3. basilicus collȳrium
      • c. 25 BCE – c. 50 CE, Aulus Cornelius Celsus, De medicina 6.31b:

        Verum in basilico quoque collyrio convenit ad omnes affectus oculorum id esse idoneum, qui non lenibus medicamentis curantur.

        (please add an English translation of this quotation)

3. (nominalized, masculine) Ellipsis of basilicus iactus: one of the best throw at the dice (its exact value is unknown)

   Coordinate terms: canīcula, canis, vulturius, Venus; bīniō, terniō, quaterniō, quīniō, sēniō

   • c. 190 BCE, Plautus, Curculio 2.3.78–80:

     Iacit volturios quattuor.
     Talos arripio, invoco almam meam nutricem Herculem,
     iacto basilicum; […]

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

	singular				plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	basilicus	basilica	basilicum		basilicī	basilicae	basilica
genitive	basilicī	basilicae	basilicī		basilicōrum	basilicārum	basilicōrum
dative	basilicō	basilicae	basilicō		basilicīs
accusative	basilicum	basilicam	basilicum		basilicōs	basilicās	basilica
ablative	basilicō	basilicā	basilicō		basilicīs
vocative	basilice	basilica	basilicum		basilicī	basilicae	basilica

Derived terms

• basilicē
• basilicum

Related terms

• basileus
• basilica
• basilicola
• basilicon
• subbasilicānus

Further reading

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