English

Noun

pectus ‎(plural pectora)

1. (anatomy, zoology) The breast, especially of a bird.

Related terms

• pectus excavatum
• pectus carinatum

Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *pektos, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peg- ‎(“breast”). Cognate with Old Irish ucht.^[1]

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈpek.tus/, [ˈpɛk.tʊs]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈpek.tus/

Noun

pectus n ‎(genitive pectoris); third declension

1. chest, breast
2. (figuratively) heart, breast, as the seat of emotion
3. (figuratively) soul, spirit, mind, understanding
4. person, individual (as a being of passion)

Inflection

Third declension neuter.

Derived terms

Descendants

See also

• pectō
• sinus

References

• pectus in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• pectus in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• Félix Gaffiot (1934), “pectus”, in Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Paris: Hachette.
• Meissner, Carl; Auden, Henry William (1894) Latin Phrase-Book, London: Macmillan and Co.
  • the water is up to, is above, the chest: aqua pectus aequat, superat
    
  • to take a thing to heart: demittere aliquid in pectus or in pectus animumque suum
    
  • what he said made a deep impression on..: hoc verbum alte descendit in pectus alicuius
    
  • to love some one very dearly, with all one's heart: aliquem toto pectore, ut dicitur, amare (Leg. 18. 49)
    
  • to inspire with religious feeling, with the fear of God: imbuere (vid. sect. VII. 7, note imbuere...) pectora religione
    
  • to plunge one's sword in some one's breast: gladium alicui in pectus infigere
    
  • to transfix, pierce a man's breast with one's sword: gladio aliquem per pectus transfigere (Liv. 2. 46)
    
• pectus in Ramminger, Johann (accessed 16 July 2016) Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700, pre-publication website, 2005-2016

1. ↑ De Vaan, Michiel (2008) Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill