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Webster 1913 Edition
Noctiluca
‖
Nocˊti-lu′ca
,Noun.
pl.
Noctilucae
(#)
. [L.
noctiluca
something that shines by night, fr. nox
, noctis
, night + lucere
to shine, lux
light.] 1.
(Old Chem.)
That which shines at night; – a fanciful name for phosphorus.
2.
(Zool.)
A genus of marine flagellate Infusoria, remarkable for their unusually large size and complex structure, as well as for their phosphorescence. The brilliant diffuse phosphorescence of the sea is often due to myriads of Noctilucae.
Webster 1828 Edition
Noctiluca
NOCTIL'UCA
,Noun.
Definition 2024
Noctiluca
Noctiluca
See also: noctiluca
Translingual
![](http://llc12.www.definify.com/images_main/Blue_Tide-_Noctiluca.jpeg)
Blue glow produced by a Noctiluca bloom
Proper noun
Noctiluca f
- A taxonomic genus within the family Noctilucaceae – some bioluminescent Myzozoa predators.
Hyponyms
- (genus of Noctilucaceae): Noctiluca miliaris, Noctiluca scintillans (species)
References
- “noctiluca, n.”, in OED Online, Oxford: Oxford University Press, December 2003.
- Noctiluca at Encyclopedia of Life
- Noctiluca Suriray, 1836 on Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
Latin
Etymology
From Latin noctilūca (“something which shines by night”).
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /nok.tiˈluː.ka/, [nɔk.tɪˈɫuː.ka]
- Hyphenation: Noc‧ti‧lu‧ca
Proper noun
Noctilūca f (genitive Noctilūcae); first declension
- (Roman mythology) Luna (deity of the Moon)
- For usage examples of this term, see Citations:Noctiluca.
References
- “noctiluca, n.”, in OED Online, Oxford: Oxford University Press, December 2003.
noctiluca
noctiluca
See also: Noctiluca
English
Noun
noctiluca (countable and uncountable, plural noctilucae)
- (obsolete) A firefly, glowworm.
- (obsolete) The moon
- (obsolete) A phosphorescent substance
- Alternative letter-case form of Noctiluca
Descendants
- noctilucal
- noctilucan
References
- noctiluca in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
- noctiluca in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- “noctiluca, n.”, in OED Online, Oxford: Oxford University Press, December 2003.
Latin
Etymology
Latin noctī (from nox, “night”) + Latin luca (from lucere, “shine”)
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /nok.tiˈluː.ka/, [nɔk.tɪˈɫuː.ka]
- Hyphenation: noc‧ti‧lu‧ca
Noun
noctilūca f (genitive noctilūcae); first declension
- (literally) Something which shines by night.
- The Moon.
- 1st c. BCE, Marcus Terentius Varro, De lingua Latina Liber V.X.11, (http://www.intratext.com/IXT/LAT0231/_P5.HTM)
- Luna, vel quod sola lucet noctu. Itaque ea dicta Noctiluca in Palatio: nam ibi noctu lucet templum.
- For more examples of usage of this term, see Citations:noctiluca.
-
- (countable) A candle, a lamp, a lantern
Inflection
First declension.
Case | Singular | Plural |
---|---|---|
nominative | noctilūca | noctilūcae |
genitive | noctilūcae | noctilūcārum |
dative | noctilūcae | noctilūcīs |
accusative | noctilūcam | noctilūcās |
ablative | noctilūcā | noctilūcīs |
vocative | noctilūca | noctilūcae |
References
- noctiluca in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- noctiluca in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
- NOCTILUCA in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
- Félix Gaffiot (1934), “noctiluca”, in Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Paris: Hachette.
- noctiluca in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898) Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
- "Noctĭlūca", in Charles Anthon, A Latin-English and English-Latin dictionary, for the use of schools, New York: Harper & Brothers, 1852 (1853 printing), p. 586. OCLC 463933035.
- "noctĭlūca" in James Robert Vernam Marchant, Joseph F. Charles, eds., Cassell's Latin dictionary (in English and Latin), New York: Funk & Wagnalls, 1953 printing, p. 366. OCLC 569568855.
- "Noctilūca", in George R. Crooks, Alexander J. Schem, eds., A new Latin-English school lexicon : on the basis of the Latin-German lexicon of Dr. C. F. Ingerslev, Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1867, p. 610. OCLC 680803499.
- "nōctĭlūcă", in Frederick Percival Leverett, ed., A new and copious lexicon of the Latin language, new ed., Boston: Bazin & Ellsworth, 1850, v. 1, p. 570. OCLC 870807716.
Middle English
Etymology
From Medieval Latin noctilūca (“something which shines by night”).
Noun
noctilūca (plural noctilucae)
References
- “noctiluca, n.”, in MED Online, University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2015-04-10
- “noctilupa, n.”, in MED Online, University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2015-04-10