volucer

Latin

Etymology

From volō, volāre (“to fly”). The masculine nominative singular form is derived by syncope from *wolukris, which probably developed by dissimilation from earlier *wolu-klis^[1] or *welu-klis,^[2] with a suffix ultimately derived from -*tlis, from Proto-Indo-European *-tl-, a variant of the zero-grade of the agent suffix *-tḗr. Compare alacer. However, De Vaan considers the origin of the ending *-kris to be uncertain.^[3]

Even though the stem of the verb volāre is volā-, this adjective is built on a stem volu- with short /u/, which De Vaan considers unexplained.^[1] Sen argues that the stem *welu- was taken from volucra (“larva of a moth that infests vines”), a derivative of volvō (“to (cause to) roll”), based on semantic and formal similarity.^[2] There is no consensus on the ultimate etymology of volāre (“to fly”), but one hypothesis is that it comes from Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH- (“to throw”); assuming this initial *gʷ is correct, Weiss 2009 reconstructs an earlier stage as *gʷolu-tlis, comparing it to Sanskrit गरुड (garuḍa), which Weiss derives from *garutráḥ,^[4] and Schrijver compares it to Sanskrit गरुत्मान् (garutmān).^[5]

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈu̯o.lu.ker/, [ˈu̯ɔɫ̪ʊkɛr]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈvo.lu.t͡ʃer/, [ˈvɔːlut͡ʃer]

Adjective

volucer (feminine volucris, neuter volucre); third-declension three-termination adjective

1. winged
   • 29 bc. Vergil. Georgics, III

     omne adeo genvs in terris hominvmqve ferarvmqve
     et genvs æqvorevm pecvdes pictæqve volvcres
     in fvrias ignemqve rvvnt

     So far does every species on earth of man and beast,
     whether the aquatic species, livestock, or painted-winged,
     collapse into the frenzies and the fire [of sex].

   • 8 CE, Ovid, Fasti 5.271–272:

     ‘mella meum mūnus: volucrēs ego mella datūrās
     ad violam et cytisōs et thyma cāna vocō.’

     “Honeys [are also] my duty: [It is] I [who] call to the violet, and the clover, and the hoary thyme the winged [ones who are] about to give honeys.”
     (The poetic voice of Flora (mythology) is referring to “bees” as being “winged.” Translating “mella” as nominative and accusative plural, since the varied flowers result in differently colored and flavored honeys.)

2. flying, able to fly

Declension

Third-declension three-termination adjective.

Number	Singular				Plural
Case / Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	volucer	volucris	volucre		volucrēs		volucria
Genitive	volucris				volucrium volucrum		volucrium
Dative	volucrī				volucribus
Accusative	volucrem		volucre		volucrēs		volucria
Ablative	volucrī				volucribus
Vocative	volucer	volucris	volucre		volucrēs		volucria

Derived terms

• volucris

References

1. De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “volō”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 688
2. Ranjan Sen (2015) Syllable and Segment in Latin, Oxford University Press, →ISBN, pages 103, 107
3. De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “alacer”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 32
4. Weiss, Michael L. (2009) Outline of the Historical and Comparative Grammar of Latin‎, Ann Arbor: Beech Stave Press, →ISBN, page 318
5. Schrijver, Peter C. H. (1991) The reflexes of the Proto-Indo-European laryngeals in Latin (Leiden studies in Indo-European; 2), Amsterdam, Atlanta: Rodopi, →ISBN, page 470

Further reading

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