English

Noun

fascinum ‎(plural fascina)

1. An ivory phallus used in certain ancient erotic rites.
   • 1955: Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita

     Here are some brides of ten compelled to seat themselves on the fascinum, the virile ivory in the temples of classical scholarship.

   • 1988: Leonard R. N. Ashley, The Amazing World of Superstition, Prophecy, Luck, Magic & Witchcraft, page 107 (Random House Value Publishing; ISBN 0517665662, 9780517665664)

     Today people use a four-leaf clover, the pompom from a European sailor’s hat, the fascinum (winged phallus, some of which were found in the ruins of Pompeii and seemed to have done little good there), and so on.

Latin

Alternative forms

• fascinus

Etymology

Of unknown origin; compare Ancient Greek βάσκανος ‎(báskanos, “sorcerer”), possibly from the same European substratum.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈfas.ki.num/

Noun

fascinum n ‎(genitive fascinī); second declension

1. An evil spell; witchcraft.
2. A ****, especially that of a human.
3. An artificial phallus, such as those inserted into statuary.
4. A ****.
5. (by extension) A phallus-shaped amulet worn around the neck as a preventive against witchcraft.
6. (by extension) A kind of seashell.

Inflection

Second declension.

Derived terms

• fascinō
• fascinōsus

Related terms

• fascinātiō
• fascinātor
• fascinātōrius

Descendants

• English: fascinum
• Italian: fascino
• Portuguese: fascínio

References

• fascinum in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• fascinum in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• Félix Gaffiot (1934), “fascinum”, in Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Paris: Hachette.
• fascinum in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898) Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
• fascinum in William Smith et al., editor (1890) A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin
• R. Bracht Branham & Daniel Kinney, Petronius "Satyrica": A New Translation, page 147, Berkeley: University of California Press, 1996