gnavus

Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *gnāwos, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵn̥h₃wós, from *ǵneh₃- (“know”) (whence Latin gnōscō (“to know, recognize”)) + *-wós (whence Latin -vus).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈnaː.wʊs]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈɲaː.vus]

Adjective

gnāvus (feminine gnāva, neuter gnāvum, comparative gnāvior, superlative gnāvissimus); first/second-declension adjective

1. alternative form of nāvus
   • 69 BCE, Cicero, De Imperio Cn. Pompei 7, 18:

     Deinde ex ceteris ordinibus homines gnavi atque industrii partim ipsi in Asia negotiantur...

     Thereafter a portion of active and industrious men from the rest of the orders are conducting business in Asia...

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

	singular				plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	gnāvus	gnāva	gnāvum		gnāvī	gnāvae	gnāva
genitive	gnāvī	gnāvae	gnāvī		gnāvōrum	gnāvārum	gnāvōrum
dative	gnāvō	gnāvae	gnāvō		gnāvīs
accusative	gnāvum	gnāvam	gnāvum		gnāvōs	gnāvās	gnāva
ablative	gnāvō	gnāvā	gnāvō		gnāvīs
vocative	gnāve	gnāva	gnāvum		gnāvī	gnāvae	gnāva

Derived terms

• gnāviter
• ignāvus

References

• “gnavus”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• De Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 268