hallux

English

WOTD – 27 September 2011, 27 September 2012, 27 September 2013, 27 September 2014

Etymology

From Late Latin hallux, from Latin allus, hallus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhæləks/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æləks

Noun

hallux (plural halluces or halluxes)

1. (anatomy) A big toe.
   • 1995, Anthony Burgess, Byrne:

     His left foot winced. The hallux nail, ill-cut, / Assailed its neighbour toe with a shrewd nip.

Derived terms

• hallucal
• prehallux

Translations

big toe — see big toe

See also

• pollex

Latin

Alternative forms

• allux

Etymology

There is a relation to hallus and allex. Might be a conflation of both. The word-initial h might stem from an assumed connection with ἅλλομαι (hállomai).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈhal.lʊks]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈal.luks]

Noun

hallux m (genitive hallucis); third declension

1. (Late Latin) the big toe

   Synonyms: allex, pollex, hallus

Declension

Third-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	hallux	hallucēs
genitive	hallucis	hallucum
dative	hallucī	hallucibus
accusative	hallucem	hallucēs
ablative	halluce	hallucibus
vocative	hallux	hallucēs

Descendants

• Italian: alluce
• → Catalan: hàllux
• → English: hallux
• → Portuguese: hálux
• → Spanish: hallux

References

• "allux", in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)

Spanish

Noun

hallux m (plural hallux)

1. hallux