Translation
weapon, missile; spear, dart
Examples
.
He threw a weapon at the enemy.
.
The soldiers' weapons lay on the ground.
vicerunt.
They defeated the enemy with missiles.
.
He came into battle without a weapon.
.
The quantity of missiles was great.
Telum, teli is neuter, second declension, and deliberately generic: anything thrown or thrust, so spear, javelin, arrow, sling bullet, and in the jurists any offensive weapon whatever, including a stone picked up in the street. Where arma is defensive kit and equipment in general, tela is the stuff coming at you.
The trap is the plural. Tela, "weapons", is identical to tela, telae, a first-declension feminine noun meaning a web or a loom, the word behind Penelope's weaving and behind subtle (sub tela, fine-woven). Only the sentence separates a volley of javelins from a piece of cloth. Ablative telis serves for both, which does not help.
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telum: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Latin word "telum" (weapon, missile; spear, dart): 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 part of lesson 8.