vīs
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
From Proto-Italic *wīs, from Proto-Indo-European *wéyh₁s (“force, vehemence”), from *weyh₁- (“to rush”). Cognate with Ancient Greek ἴς (ís, “strength”), Sanskrit वयस् (vayas, “enjoyment, vigor, youth, age”). See also via, invītus, invītō, Ancient Greek οἶμος (oîmos).
Noun
vīs f (irregular, genitive *vīs); third declension
- force, power, strength, vigor, faculty, potency [ synonyms ▲][ quotations ▼]
- Synonyms: rōbur, ops, vehementia
- (in the plural) strength, might (physical)
- omnibus vīribus ― with all his strength; with all her might; with all their force
- violence, assault [ synonyms ▲][ quotations ▼]
- ad vim atque ad arma confugere ― appeal to violence and fighting
- (figuratively) meaning, significance, nature, essence and value of a word
- (figuratively) assault, affront
- (figuratively) quantity, flood
- (New Latin, physics) energy, force
Usage notes
- The genitive and dative singular are not in common use (with exceptional attestations being analogical) and substituted with forms of rōbur (rōboris, rōborī).
- The plural forms of this noun are often treated as a separate plurale tantum noun, with a distinct meaning of physical force. An analogical nominative/accusative vīs is occasionally found, beginning with Lucretius.[1]
Declension
Third-declension noun (irregular, defective).
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | vīs | vīrēs |
| Genitive | *vīs | vīrium |
| Dative | *vī | vīribus |
| Accusative | vim | vīrēs vīrīs |
| Ablative | vī | vīribus |
| Vocative | vīs | vīrēs |
Derived terms
Etymology 2
From Proto-Indo-European *wéyh₁si, second-person singular present of *wéyh₁ti. This particular form is suppletive, in contrast to the other forms of volō, which derive from Proto-Indo-European *welh₁-. (Proto-Italic *wels became a separate word (vel (“or, and/or”), to be specific) in Latin.)
Verb
vīs