fuscina

Forms

fuscina f (genitive fuscinae); first declension^[1]

Etymology

The origin is unknown.^[2][3] Lewis & Short, Georges and Wiktionary compare furca (“fork”).^[4][5][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in Plautus, in a fragment of the Vidularia,^[6][3] for a three-pronged fishing spear.^[2][6]

Semantic evolution

Accius gives it to Triton, who overturns caves with it,^[2][5] and Cicero lists it among the attributes given to the gods; it is Neptune's trident.^[2][4][6] Juvenal and Suetonius use it for the weapon of the retiarius, the gladiator who fought with net and trident.^[2][4] Petronius uses it of a fisherman's harpoon.^[5][6] Its Old High German glosses include “fork” and “fishing spear”.^[3]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.^[6][3]
• 170–c. 90 BC – Accius gives Triton a trident.^[2][3]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero names it among the gods' attributes.^[2][3]
• before 66 AD – Petronius uses it of a fisherman's harpoon.^[5][3]
• c. 67–c. 127 AD – Juvenal uses it of the trident of a gladiator.^[2][3]

Meanings

Noun

1. A three-pronged spear for catching fish, a trident, harpoon.^[2][4]
2. The trident as the weapon of sea gods, especially Neptune.^[2][4]
3. The trident of the retiarius in gladiatorial combat.^[2]

Word family

• fuscinula

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
4. ^ a b c d e Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
6. ^ a b c d e Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier