circellus

Latin

Alternative forms

• cercellus

Etymology

circulus +‎ -lus

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /kirˈkel.lus/, [kɪrˈkɛlːʲʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /t͡ʃirˈt͡ʃel.lus/, [t͡ʃirˈt͡ʃɛlːus]

Noun

circellus m (genitive circellī); second declension

1. small ring, hoop
2. (post-classical) earring

Declension

Second-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	circellus	circellī
Genitive	circellī	circellōrum
Dative	circellō	circellīs
Accusative	circellum	circellōs
Ablative	circellō	circellīs
Vocative	circelle	circellī

Derived terms

• circelliōnēs

Descendants

• Balkan Romance:
  • Aromanian: tsirtseljiu, tsirtsel
  • Romanian: cercel
• Dalmatian:
  • kerkelli
• Italo-Romance:
  • Neapolitan: chirchiello

    Vastese: ciarcille (plural)

  • Old Sicilian: chirchelli (plural)
    • Sicilian: circeddu, surcieddu
• Gallo-Romance:
  • Old French: cercel
    • French: cerceau
• Ibero-Romance:
  • Galician: cercelo (dated)
  • Old Spanish: cerciello
    • Spanish: cercillo (obsolete), zarcillo
• Ancient borrowings:
  • →? Proto-Albanian: *kertsula
    • Albanian: qerthull

References

• Joan Coromines, José A. Pascual (1991) “zarcillo”, in Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico (in Spanish), volumes VI (Y–Z), Madrid: Gredos, →ISBN, page 94
• Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002) “cĭrcĕllus”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), volume 2: C Q K, page 699

Further reading

• “circellus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• circellus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.