balteus

English

Etymology

Latin balteus (“belt, girdle”)

Noun

balteus (plural baltei)

  1. (historical) The girdle of a biblical Jewish priest.
  2. (historical) A swordbelt worn by Roman legionaries.
  3. (architecture) An Ionic ornamental band encircling the pulvinus, or bolster of the capital.
  4. The subcinctorium, a papal garment.

Latin

Alternative forms

Etymology

The term possibly derives from the word for “belt” in Etruscan, 𐌁𐌀𐌋𐌕𐌄𐌀 (baltea).

Pronunciation
  • (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈbal.te.us/, [ˈbäɫ̪t̪eʊs̠]
  • (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈbal.te.us/, [ˈbäl̪t̪eus]

Noun

balteus m (genitive balteī); second declension

  1. A belt, girdle
    1. A sub-cinctorium, a papal garment.

Usage notes
  • In the Old Testament, Exodus 39:29: A Jewish priest wore a balteus girdle: 3 or 4 fingers in breadth and (according to Rabbinic tradition) 32 ells long; it had to be embroidered after the same pattern and to be of the same colour as the curtain of the forecourt and the tabernacle of the covenant.
  • A balteus (sword belt) was worn by the Roman legionary.

Declension

Second-declension noun.

Case Singular Plural
Nominative balteus balteī
Genitive balteī balteōrum
Dative balteō balteīs
Accusative balteum balteōs
Ablative balteō balteīs
Vocative baltee balteī

Descendants
  • Aromanian: baltsu
  • Norwegian: belte
  • Italian: balzo
  • Old Occitan:
  • Old Portuguese:
    • Portuguese: balção, balso
  • Romanian: balț
  • → Proto-Germanic: *baltijaz (see there for further descendants)
  • → Italian: balteo
  • → Portuguese: bálteo
  • → Spanish: bálteo

References
  • “balteus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • “balteus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • balteus in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
  • balteus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette
  • “balteus”, in The Perseus Project (1999) Perseus Encyclopedia‎
  • “balteus”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898) Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • “balteus”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890) A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin
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