floccus - Wiktionary, the free dictionary
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
floccus (plural flocci)
- (meteorology) A cloud species which consists of rounded tufts of cloud, often formed by dissipation from larger cloud species. Associated with cirrus, cirrocumulus, altocumulus, and stratocumulus genera.[1]
- A flock or tuft of wool or wool-like hairs; the downy plumage of unfledged birds.
Possibly from Proto-Indo-European *bʰlok-, related to Old High German blaha (“linen, canvas”), Old Swedish blan, bla, both from Proto-Germanic *blahǭ, *blagwǭ (“cloth, linen”), and Old Norse blæja, which is from Proto-Germanic *blahjǭ (“linen, cloth”).[1]
Alternatively, from Proto-West Germanic *flokkō (“down, wool, flock”), from Proto-Germanic *flukkô (“down, piece of wool, flake, fluff”), from Proto-Indo-European *plewk- (“hair, fibres, tuft”).
floccus m (genitive floccī); second declension
- tuft, wisp of wool
- (figuratively) trifle (thing of little importance)
Second-declension noun.
- “floccus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “floccus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
- floccus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
- ^ Szemerenyi, Scripta minora: selected essays in Indo-European, Greek, and Latin, Volume 2, p. 714