mulleus

Latin

Etymology

Uncertain; proposed derivations include:

• From mullus (“mullet”), but considered folk etymology
• From Proto-Indo-European *melh₂-. Cognates include Ancient Greek μέλας (mélas, “black”), Sanskrit मल (mala, “dirt, filth, dust”), Latvian melns, and Old Prussian melne. Driessen rejects the connection with adj. in **-no- meaning 'black' since Proto-Italic *melnos / *mlnos would not yield Lat. mullus but melnus / blanus, cf. blandus (“soft”)
• From Proto-Italic *molweyos, from *ml-uo (“dark, red, dirty”) IE cognates Latvian mul̃vas "reddish, yellowish," itself from *melh₂-.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈmul.le.us/, [ˈmʊlːʲeʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈmul.le.us/, [ˈmulːeus]

Adjective

mulleus (feminine mullea, neuter mulleum); first/second-declension adjective

1. of a red color (said of shoes)

   calcei mullei

   red calceuses

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

	singular				plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	mulleus	mullea	mulleum		mulleī	mulleae	mullea
genitive	mulleī	mulleae	mulleī		mulleōrum	mulleārum	mulleōrum
dative	mulleō	mulleae	mulleō		mulleīs
accusative	mulleum	mulleam	mulleum		mulleōs	mulleās	mullea
ablative	mulleō	mulleā	mulleō		mulleīs
vocative	mullee	mullea	mulleum		mulleī	mulleae	mullea

Descendants

• French: mule
  • English: mule

See also

Colors in Latin · colōrēs (layout · text)

albus, candidus, subalbus, niveus, cēreus, marmoreus, eburneus, cānus, blancus (ML.)	glaucus, rāvus, pullus, cinereus, cinerāceus, plumbeus, grīseus (ML. or NL.)	niger, āter, piceus, furvus
ruber, rūbidus, rūfus, rubicundus, russus, rubrīcus, pūniceus, murrinus, mulleus; cocceus, coccīnus, badius	rutilus, armeniacus, aurantius, aurantiacus; fuscus, suffuscus, colōrius, cervīnus, spādīx, castaneus, aquilus, fulvus, brunneus (ML.)	flāvus, sufflāvus, flāvidus, fulvus, lūteus, gilvus, helvus, croceus, pallidus, blondinus (ML.)
galbus, galbinus, lūridus	viridis	prasinus
cȳaneus	caeruleus, azurīnus (ML.), caesius, blāvus (LL.)	glaucus; līvidus; venetus
violāceus, ianthinus, balaustīnus (NL.)	ostrīnus, amethystīnus	purpureus, ātropurpureus, roseus, rosāceus

Further reading

• “mulleus calceus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• mulleus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “mulleus”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 394