English

Noun

peculium ‎(plural peculia)

1. (law, historical) The savings of a son or a slave, with the father's or master's consent; a little property or stock of one's own.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Burrill to this entry?)

2. A special fund for private and personal uses.
   • Sir Walter Scott

     Still, however, he gained something, and it was the glory of his heart to carry it to Mr MacMorlan weekly, a slight peculium only subtracted, to supply his snuff-box and tobacco-pouch.

Latin

Etymology

From a Proto-Indo-European root *peḱu- ‎(“livestock, domestic animals”), whence also pecus ‎(“sheep, cattle”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /peˈkuː.li.um/, [pɛˈkuː.li.ũ]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /peˈku.li.um/, [peˈkuː.li̯um]

Noun

pecūlium n ‎(genitive pecūliī); second declension

1. private property (originally in the form of cattle, but later in the form of savings)

Usage notes

Often used in Ancient Rome to refer to the payment a teaching slave would occasionally collect from his students.

Inflection

Second declension.

Derived terms

• pecūliāris

Related terms

• pecus

Descendants

References

• peculium in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• peculium in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• PECULIUM in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
• Félix Gaffiot (1934), “peculium”, in Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Paris: Hachette.
• peculium in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898) Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
• peculium in William Smith et al., editor (1890) A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin