Questions tagged [reference-request]

Questions requesting a specific reference to a word, grammatical construct, or other language element, such as in the writings of a particular author.

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What colours did different colour words mean, exactly?

There are many different words for colours in Latin, but it's not easy to tell what kind of colour was exactly meant by each word. Do we know what different colour words meant? In particular, is there ...
Joonas Ilmavirta's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
167 views

Using genitive and infinitive to describe characteristics

Answering this question, I recalled a somewhat rare construction used to express that an action is characteristic of someone. Pekkanen's Ars Grammatica (§77.1) gives two examples: Cuiusvis hominis ...
Joonas Ilmavirta's user avatar
9 votes
1 answer
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Colors of the rainbow

The classical Latin word for a rainbow seems to be Iris (Iris or Iridis, f.). Did the Romans ever list or otherwise discuss the colors of the rainbow in extant literature? I asked about colors in ...
Joonas Ilmavirta's user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
2k views

Understanding a reference to Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum

On page 33 of Companion Animals & Us, there is a line: I am in tears, while carrying you to your last resting place as much as I rejoiced when bringing you home in my own hands fifteen years ...
Morgoth's user avatar
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8 votes
1 answer
164 views

Are there literary attestations of werewolves in the Classical period?

The modern idea of werewolves seems to have arisen somewhere in the Middle Ages, after the spread of Christianity. But I vaguely remember a story in the Satyricon (specifically at Trimalchio's dinner) ...
Draconis's user avatar
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7 votes
2 answers
6k views

How do I access the Oxford Latin Dictionary online?

I'm using a university account to sign into Oxford Scholarly Editions Online (OSEO). To what 'widget' does the official webpage refer? Is it online? Must it be downloaded? A widget enabling users ...
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2 votes
3 answers
1k views

Two Sappho-related reference requests

As some of you will definitely know, I have been grappling with Sappho for a long time. Lately, I have come to an impasse in a couple places, where I have said all I can without a specific reference I ...
MickG's user avatar
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