canus

Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *kaznos, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱeh₂s- (“bright grey”) (compare Welsh cannu (“to whiten”), ceinach (“hare”), English hare, Latin cascus (“old”), Ancient Greek ξανθός (xanthós, “yellow”), Old Prussian sasnis (“hare”), Pashto خړ (xëṛ, “grey”), Sanskrit शश (śaśa, “hare”)).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈkaː.nʊs]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈkaː.nus]

Adjective

cānus (feminine cāna, neuter cānum); first/second-declension adjective

1. white
2. hoary
3. (of water) frothy
4. (of hair) gray
   • 8 CE, Ovidius, Fasti 5.57–58:

     ‘Magna fuit quondam capitis reverentia cānī,
     inque suō pretiō rūga senīlis erat.’

     ‘‘At one time, there was great respect of a gray head,
     and the wrinkling of old age was with value in itself.’’
     (The voice is that of the muse Urania.)

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

	singular		plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	cānus	cāna	cānum	cānī	cānae	cāna
genitive	cānī	cānae	cānī	cānōrum	cānārum	cānōrum
dative	cānō	cānae	cānō	cānīs
accusative	cānum	cānam	cānum	cānōs	cānās	cāna
ablative	cānō	cānā	cānō	cānīs
vocative	cāne	cāna	cānum	cānī	cānae	cāna

Derived terms

• cānaster
• cāneō
• cānūtus
• cānitiēs

Related terms

• cānēscō
• cascus

Descendants

• Insular Romance:
  • Sardinian: canu
• Italo-Romance:
  • Italian: cano
• Ibero-Romance:
  • Asturian: canu
  • Old Galician-Portuguese: cão
    • Galician: Cao (surname)
    • Portuguese: cão
  • Old Spanish: cano
    • Spanish: cano
    • → Old Galician-Portuguese: cano
      • Galician: cano

See also

Colors in Classical and Old Latin · colōrēs (layout · text)

albus, candidus, cānus, marmoreus (poetic), eburneus (poetic), niveus (poetic), argenteus (poetic), lacteus (poetic)	pullus, fuscus, aquilus, mūrīnus (of livestock)	āter, niger, furvus, piceus (poetic)
rūfus, russus, ruber, flammeus (poetic), rōbus (of oxen), burrus; pūniceus, spādīx (poetic), sanguineus (poetic)	rutilus, fulvus (poetic), rāvus (of eyes), aureus (poetic), croceus (poetic); rūbidus, niger (of eyes), badius (of horses)	lūteus, flāvus, lūridus, pallidus, gilvus (of horses), helvus (of cattle); cēreus (poetic)
viridis, flāvus (poetic)	viridis, herbeus, fulvus (poetic)	viridis, glaucus, caeruleus (poetic, only dark)
	glaucus, caesius (of eyes)	caeruleus, līvidus, ferrūgineus (poetic), glaucus
violāceus	purpureus (underlying shade)	roseus

References

• “canus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “canus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• "canus", in Charles du Fresne du Cange, Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• “canus”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.