spurius

See also: Spurius

Latin

Etymology

Perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *sper- (“to scatter”) or from *sperH- (whence spernō).

Others refer it to Etruscan 𐌔𐤂𐌖𐌓𐌀𐌋 (spural, “public”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈspu.ri.us/, [ˈs̠pʊriʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈspu.ri.us/, [ˈspuːrius]

Adjective

spurius (feminine spuria, neuter spurium); first/second-declension adjective

1. of illegitimate birth but unknown father
2. false, spurious

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

	singular				plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	spurius	spuria	spurium		spuriī	spuriae	spuria
genitive	spuriī	spuriae	spuriī		spuriōrum	spuriārum	spuriōrum
dative	spuriō	spuriae	spuriō		spuriīs
accusative	spurium	spuriam	spurium		spuriōs	spuriās	spuria
ablative	spuriō	spuriā	spuriō		spuriīs
vocative	spurie	spuria	spurium		spuriī	spuriae	spuria

Descendants

• → Catalan: espuri
• → English: spurious
• → Italian: spurio
• → Portuguese: espúrio
• Romanian: șpur, spuriu
• → Spanish: espurio

See also

• nothus (illegitimate, but known father)

References

• “spurius”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• spurius 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)
• spurius in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• “spurius”, in William Smith, editor (1848), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, London: John Murray