novacula

Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *(ks)nowātlā, probably from Proto-Indo-European *ksnew-, extended from *kes- (“to scratch, itch”). See also Latin saucius, Ancient Greek ξύω (xúō), and Old English besnyþian.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /noˈu̯aː.ku.la/, [noˈu̯äːkʊɫ̪ä]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /noˈva.ku.la/, [noˈväːkulä]

Noun

novācula f (genitive novāculae); first declension

1. A sharp knife (which was used for shaving)

   Synonym: culter

2. dagger, razor

Declension

First-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	novācula	novāculae
Genitive	novāculae	novāculārum
Dative	novāculae	novāculīs
Accusative	novāculam	novāculās
Ablative	novāculā	novāculīs
Vocative	novācula	novāculae

Descendants

• Asturian: navaya
• Catalan: navalla
• Galician: navalla
• Portuguese: navalha
• Spanish: navaja
• Italian: novacula
• → Portuguese: novácula

References

• “novacula”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “novacula”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• novacula in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• “novacula”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
• Pokorny, Julius (1959) Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 2, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 585