Asinus
/ˈa.si.nus/noun
Latin for a donkey or ass.
Did you know?Asinus is the source of English words like *asinine* and *ass*, showing how a humble animal name became a lasting metaphor for stupidity and stubbornness.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₁éḱsōs / *h₁ásinus?
“The deeper pre-Latin ancestry is uncertain; scholars usually treat Latin asinus as an inherited word of obscure Indo-European origin or an old loanword.”
Old Latin
Latin
asinus
“A donkey; a pack animal associated with burden and stubbornness.”
Classical Latin
Latin
asinus
“A donkey, ass; also used figuratively for a dull or stupid person.”
Old French
Old French
asne
“Donkey; the everyday Romance descendant that helped shape later English usage.”
Middle English
English
ass
“Donkey; later also a rude term for a foolish person.”
Modern English
English
asinine
“Like a donkey; foolish, stupid, or absurd.”