laurus

See also: Laurus

Latin

Alternative forms

• daurus (laurel)

Etymology

From Old Latin dacrus. Related to Ancient Greek δάφνη (dáphnē, “laurel”), whence also the given name Δάφνη (Dáphnē). Possibly related to Latin lacrima, dacrima and Ancient Greek δάκρυ (dákru), referring to the shape of flowers, although this is uncertain.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈlau̯.rus/, [ˈɫ̪äu̯rʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈlau̯.rus/, [ˈläːu̯rus]

Noun

laurus f (genitive laurī); second declension

1. laurel tree
2. (metonymically) laurels; a crown of laurel

Declension

Second-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	laurus	laurī
Genitive	laurī	laurōrum
Dative	laurō	laurīs
Accusative	laurum	laurōs
Ablative	laurō	laurīs
Vocative	laure	laurī

Synonyms

• (laurel tree): laurea
• (crown of laurel): laurea

Derived terms

• *laurārius
• laurētum
• laureus
• lauricomus
• laurifer
• lauriger
• laurīnus
• lauripotēns

Related terms

• laureātus
• laureola
• laurea

Descendants

• Balkan Romance:
  • Megleno-Romanian: laur
  • Romanian: laur
• Italo-Romance:
  • Central Italian: lauru, lauro, làvoro
  • Corsican: addoru
  • Italian: alloro
  • Neapolitan: lauro, làvoro
  • Sicilian: aḍḍauru, lauru
• Padanian:
  • Lombard: laur
  • Piedmontese: làuro, laur
  • ⇒ Venetian: lavranèr, vialoro, doraro
• Northern Gallo-Romance:
  • >? Franco-Provençal: lôro (Valdôtain)
  • Old French: lor
  • Old Lorrain: loir
• Southern Gallo-Romance:
  • Old Catalan: lor
    • Catalan: llor, llort
  • Old Occitan: laur
    • Occitan: laur (Rouergue)
• Ibero-Romance:
  • Asturian: lloru
  • Old Galician-Portuguese: louro
    • Galician: louro
    • Portuguese: louro, loiro
• Insular Romance:
  • Sardinian: laru, lau, lavru
• → Albanian: lar
• → Asturian: lauro (learned)
• → Esperanto: laŭro
• → Italian: lauro (learned)
• → Polish: laur (learned)
• → Portuguese: lauro (learned)
• → Old Irish:
  • Manx: laurys
  • Scottish Gaelic: labhrais
• →? Proto-Brythonic: *llọrɨβ̃
  • Welsh: llawryf
• → Proto-West Germanic: *laur (see there for further descendants)
• → Sicilian: lauru (learned)
• → Spanish: lauro (learned)

Unsorted borrowings:

• → Latvian: laurs
• → Lithuanian: laurų
• → Samogitian: lauros
• → West Slavic:
  • Czech: vavřín
  • Polish: wawrzyn
  • Slovak: vavrín
  • Lower Sorbian: ławrjeńc
  • Upper Sorbian: ławrjenc
  • → Hungarian: babér
  • → Samogitian: babka, bakos
• → East and South Slavic:
  • Belarusian: лаўр (laŭr)
  • Bulgarian: лавър (lavǎr), лавров (lavrov)
  • Bosnian: lovor
  • Croatian: lovor
  • Macedonian: лавор (lavor)
  • Russian: лавр (lavr) (see there for further descendants)
  • Serbo-Croatian: lovor, lovorika
    • Pannonian Rusyn: ловор (lovor)
  • Slovene: lovor
  • Ukrainian: лавр (lavr)

References

• AIS: Sprach- und Sachatlas Italiens und der Südschweiz [Linguistic and Ethnographic Atlas of Italy and Southern Switzerland] – map 598: “l'alloro” – on navigais-web.pd.istc.cnr.it
• Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002) “laurus”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, volume 5: J L, page 208

Further reading

• “laurus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “laurus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• laurus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.