cuneus

Meaning

1. (declension-2, masculine) wedge, wedge shape
2. (declension-2, masculine) troops arrayed in a wedge formation
3. (declension-2, figuratively, masculine) an army
4. (declension-2, masculine) a block of seats

Concepts

wedge

troops drawn up for battle in the shape of a wedg

Translations

coin

Keil

wig

cuña

cuneo

Weck

cunha

spie

cale

zeppa

kama

falca

takoz

tascó

Pronounced as (IPA)

[ˈkʊ.ne.ʊs]

Etymology

Uncertain root, apparently with the suffix -eus. Various problematic comparisons to either Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- (“sharp”) or *ḱúH- (“spike; sting”) (compare Latin culex (“mosquito”), Avestan 𐬯𐬏𐬐𐬁 (sūkā, “needle”), Sanskrit शूक (śūka, “spike, bristle; sting (of an insect)”), शूल (śūla, “spear; stake”) etc.) have been unfruitful; a long vowel (*cūneus) would be expected in the latter case, and the morphology of the -n-eus suffix remains opaque. One possibility is that cuneus is a borrowing from Ancient Greek γώνιος (gṓnios, “corner, angle”) via an Etruscan intermediate which could explain the devoicing, though De Vaan finds this unconvincing. Compare cunnus (“vagina”, derogatory), also of uncertain origin, as well as cutis (“skin”).