Dictionary formscelus, sceleris(neuter)
Translation
crime, wicked deed; wickedness, villainy
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Grammar
Cases
| Case | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominativethe subject | scelus | scelera |
| Vocativecalling someone: O ... | scelus | scelera |
| Accusativethe direct object; after ad, in (into), per | scelus | scelera |
| Genitiveof | sceleris | scelerum |
| Dativeto, for | sceleri | sceleribus |
| Ablativeby, with, from; after a, ab, cum, de, e, ex, in (in), sine | scelere | sceleribus |
Examples
.
He committed a great crime.
.
The punishment for the crime was heavy.
.
No one becomes good through crime.
.
Many crimes were seen in the city.
.
There was no limit to their crimes.
Scelus, sceleris, n., third declension, one of the s-stem neuters alongside corpus, tempus and genus. Nominative and accusative are the same, and the r of the oblique cases is an old s gone soft between vowels: sceles-is became sceleris.
Two things separate it from crimen. Scelus is the wicked act itself, and the wickedness behind it; crimen started as the charge brought, the accusation, and only later slid towards the deed. Scelus is also the stronger word, reserved for things that offend the gods as well as the magistrate. Roman comedy throws it at people directly - o scelus, "you villain" - which is a neuter noun used of a human being and perfectly grammatical. The adjective is sceleratus, "criminal, accursed".
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Latin · Free printables
scelus: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Latin word "scelus" (crime, wicked deed; wickedness, villainy): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is taught in chapter 7, lesson 6: scelus, praesentia, cito and 7 more words.