marculus

Latin

Alternative forms

martulus

Etymology

Perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *molh₂-tlo-, from *melh₂- (“to grind”), with dissimilation. Due to closer phonetic shape among other factors, Prósper prefers a derivation from another root *merh₂-.^[1] See also malleus (“hammer, mallet”), with which it is related.^[2]

Due to the -ulus being misanalyzed as the diminutive suffix -ulus, marcus was later fabricated by analogy.

Pronunciation

(Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈmar.kʊ.ɫʊs]
(modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈmar.ku.lus]

Noun

marculus m (genitive marculī); second declension

small hammer, (Old Latin, post-Augustan) hammer

Declension

Second-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	marculus	marculī
genitive	marculī	marculōrum
dative	marculō	marculīs
accusative	marculum	marculōs
ablative	marculō	marculīs
vocative	marcule	marculī

Derived terms

martellus

Descendants

>? Galician: macho
>? Spanish: macho

References

^ Prósper, Blanca María (2021) “Mars Veneticus and the «palma rule»”, in Francesca Chiusaroli, editor, Miscellanea di studi in onore di Diego Poli [Miscellany of Studies in Honor of Diego Poli], volume 2, Rome: Il Calamo, →ISBN, page 1261
^ De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “malleus (> Derivatives > marculus)”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 360

[1] Prósper, Blanca María (2021) “Mars Veneticus and the «palma rule»”, in Francesca Chiusaroli, editor, Miscellanea di studi in onore di Diego Poli [Miscellany of Studies in Honor of Diego Poli], volume 2, Rome: Il Calamo, →ISBN, page 1261

[2] De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “malleus (> Derivatives > marculus)”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 360

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