clivius

Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *ḱley- (to lean). Cognate with Proto-Celtic *kliyos (left). De Van suggests that the term underwent a semantic shift from “sloped” to “awkward” before eventually coming to mean “ominous.”

Pronunciation

Adjective

clīvius (feminine clīvia, neuter clīvium); first/second-declension adjective

  1. inauspicious, ominous

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

singular plural
masculine feminine neuter masculine feminine neuter
nominative clīvius clīvia clīvium clīviī clīviae clīvia
genitive clīviī clīviae clīviī clīviōrum clīviārum clīviōrum
dative clīviō clīviae clīviō clīviīs
accusative clīvium clīviam clīvium clīviōs clīviās clīvia
ablative clīviō clīviā clīviō clīviīs
vocative clīvie clīvia clīvium clīviī clīviae clīvia

Derived terms

  • clīvia avis
  • clīvia auspicia

References

  • clivius”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • avis clivia avis”, 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 122