caulae

Latin

Etymology

Possibly from Proto-Italic *kaɣela (“little tie, juncture”), from Proto-Indo-European *kagʰ- (“to enclose”), in this case cognate to Latin cohum, incohō, Oscan 𐌊𐌀𐌇𐌀𐌃 (kahad, “let him take”), Welsh cael (“to get”), Welsh caer (“fortified settlement”), English hedge. Sense 2 is difficult to connect semantically and could represent a diminutive to cavus (“hollow”) with regular syncope.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈkau̯.lae̯/, [ˈkäu̯ɫ̪äe̯]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈkau̯.le/, [ˈkäːu̯le]

Noun

caulae f pl (genitive caulārum); first declension

1. a railing or lattice barrier; hurdles (for a sheep-fold)
   1. (Medieval Latin) sheepfold, pigsty, coop etc.

      Alternative form: caula

2. pores (of the skin), holes, apertures

Declension

First-declension noun, plural only.

	plural
nominative	caulae
genitive	caulārum
dative	caulīs
accusative	caulās
ablative	caulīs
vocative	caulae

Further reading

• “caulae” on page 316 of the Oxford Latin Dictionary (2nd ed., 2012)
• De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “caulae”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 99
• “caulae”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “caulae”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• caulae in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.