spiculum

English

Etymology

From Latin spīculum (“a little sharp point”), from spīcum, alternative form of spīca (“point, spike”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈspɪkjʊləm/

Noun

spiculum (plural spicula)

1. A thrusting javelin used by Romans that replaced the pilum in the late 3rd century.
2. A sharp, pointed crystal, especially of ice.
3. (zoology) A sharp, needle-like structure, especially those making up the skeleton of a sponge.
4. (astronomy) A small radial emission of gas seen in the chromosphere and corona of the sun.

Synonyms

• (sharp, pointed crystal): spicula
• (sharp, needle-like strucutre): spicule
• (small radial emission of gas): spicule

Derived terms

• spiculum amoris

Latin

Etymology

From spīcum (“point, spike”, alternative form of spīca) +‎ -ulum (diminutive suffix).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈspiː.ku.lum/, [ˈs̠piːkʊɫ̪ʊ̃ˑ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈspi.ku.lum/, [ˈspiːkulum]

Noun

spīculum n (genitive spīculī); second declension

1. little sharp point or sting
2. dart, arrow

Declension

Second-declension noun (neuter).

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	spīculum	spīcula
Genitive	spīculī	spīculōrum
Dative	spīculō	spīculīs
Accusative	spīculum	spīcula
Ablative	spīculō	spīculīs
Vocative	spīculum	spīcula

Descendants

• Italo-Romance:
  • Italian: spicchio (“wedge, clove”), spigolo (“corner, edge”)
  • Sicilian: spicchiu (“clove”)
• Gallo-Romance:
  • ⇒ Picard: épillon (“bee's stinger, barb”)
• Occitano-Romance:
  • Catalan: espígol (“lavender”)
  • ⇒ Gascon: arrespilh (“piece of wood for patching containers”)
• Ibero-Romance:
  • Aragonese: espligo (“lavender”)
    • → Spanish: espliego
  • Galician: esprego (“lavender”)
  • → Basque: izpiliku
• Borrowings:
  • → English: spicule, spiculum
  • → French: spicule
  • → Portuguese: espículo

From spīcula (plural):

• Italo-Romance:
  • Corsican: spigula (“tap, spigot”)
  • Tuscan: specchia (Sillano)
• North Italian:
  • Ladin: spigola (“comb for flax”)
  • Piedmontese: spigula (Alpine)
• Gallo-Romance: (with the sense of 'pin')
  • Gallo: épille
  • Norman: épile
  • Old French: espille
  • Picard: épieule, épiule

References

• Joan Coromines, José A[ntonio] Pascual (1984) “espliego”, in Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico [Critic Castilian and Hispanic Etymological Dictionary] (in Spanish), volume II (Ce–F), Madrid: Gredos, →ISBN, page 750
• Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002) “spīcŭlum”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, volumes 12: Sk–š, page 176

Further reading

• “spiculum”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “spiculum”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• spiculum in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• “spiculum”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin