spurcus

Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *sporkos, from Proto-Indo-European *spr̥ḱós, perhaps from *sper- (“to scatter”) (originally "contaminated", "polluted"). Perhaps related to spargō, spurius, parcus, spernō, Ancient Greek σπείρω (speírō), English spurn, spread, spare. (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

Pronunciation

(Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈspʊr.kʊs]
(modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈspur.kus]

Adjective

spurcus (feminine spurca, neuter spurcum, comparative spurcior, superlative spurcissimus); first/second-declension adjective

dirty, foul, unclean
(figuratively) morally-polluted, base, mean

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

	masculine	feminine	neuter	masculine	feminine	neuter
	singular			plural
nominative	spurcus	spurca	spurcum	spurcī	spurcae	spurca
genitive	spurcī	spurcae	spurcī	spurcōrum	spurcārum	spurcōrum
dative	spurcō	spurcae	spurcō	spurcīs
accusative	spurcum	spurcam	spurcum	spurcōs	spurcās	spurca
ablative	spurcō	spurcā	spurcō	spurcīs
vocative	spurce	spurca	spurcum	spurcī	spurcae	spurca

Derived terms

Related terms

Descendants

Friulian: sporc
Greek: σπόρκος (spórkos)
Italian: sporco
Portuguese: espurco
Romanian: spurc
Sicilian: sporcu
Venetan: spórco

References

“spurcus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“spurcus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
spurcus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.