inferus

Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *enðeros, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁n̥dʰér-o-s, from *h₁n̥dʰér. Cognate with English under, Sanskrit अधर (ádhara). *ð > f is irregular in word-internal position (**inderus would be expected; compare fundus) and is explained either as (Faliscan) dialectal influence or by assuming metanalysis as a compound with in.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈin.fe.rus/, [ˈĩːfɛrʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈin.fe.rus/, [ˈiɱferus]

Adjective

īnferus (feminine īnfera, neuter īnferum, comparative īnferior, superlative īnfimus or īmus); first/second-declension adjective

1. low
2. (in the masculine plural) the souls of the dead
3. (in the neuter plural) the netherworld, the underworld, Hell

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

	singular				plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	īnferus	īnfera	īnferum		īnferī	īnferae	īnfera
genitive	īnferī	īnferae	īnferī		īnferōrum	īnferārum	īnferōrum
dative	īnferō	īnferae	īnferō		īnferīs
accusative	īnferum	īnferam	īnferum		īnferōs	īnferās	īnfera
ablative	īnferō	īnferā	īnferō		īnferīs
vocative	īnfere	īnfera	īnferum		īnferī	īnferae	īnfera

Derived terms

• īnferia
• īnferior
• īnfernus
• īnfrā

Descendants

• → Italian: infero

References

• “inferus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “inferus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• inferus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • (ambiguous) the gods of the upper, lower world: superi; inferi
    
  • (ambiguous) the world below: inferi (Orcus and Tartarus only poetical)
    
  • (ambiguous) to descend to the world below: ad inferos descendere
    
  • (ambiguous) to be in the lower world: apud inferos esse
    
  • (ambiguous) to summon some one from the dead: aliquem ab inferis or a mortuis evocare, excitare (passive ab inferis exsistere)