There are various foods that are called "balls" in English, perhaps most famously "meat balls". What would be a good Latin word for a ball in this sense? I can think of words for a ball in general, but there is no guarantee that any of them is applicable here.
asked Oct 12, 2018 at 16:52
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3At all events avoid botulus.– HughOct 13, 2018 at 21:45
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...because of botulism, food poisoning from bad tinned beans. What did you think I meant?– HughOct 15, 2018 at 12:35
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@Hugh That was one thing, but L&S does also mention a vulgar secondary meaning which does align with "sausage". I was not sure which one you meant.– Joonas Ilmavirta ♦Oct 15, 2018 at 13:08
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1 Answer
Why not globus or globulus? Each is a word that basically means a spherical mass. The former has a wide range of uses, and would be a reasonable choice, but for 'meat ball' I should prefer the diminutive.
answered Oct 12, 2018 at 17:17
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1Building off your answer and @Hugh comment: botulus globuli sounds beautiful– tox123Oct 14, 2018 at 1:30
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@tox123 I'm not sure I follow. What would you use botulus globuli for? Sounds like a sausage filled with meatballs or some such thing. For just "ball" I would choose globulus. The word botulus has a vulgar meaning beside "sausage", which can make it a little awkward for culinary use. (Also, the @-ping doesn't work unless you comment under the same post.)– Joonas Ilmavirta ♦Oct 14, 2018 at 9:24
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@joonas Ilmavirta I think that tox123 meant to write bubuli, which would probably serve (it's derived from bos). Oct 15, 2018 at 13:47
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@TomCotton Ah, that would make perfect sense! It never crossed my mind, as I am not all that familiar with the word bubulus.– Joonas Ilmavirta ♦Oct 15, 2018 at 21:01