ursus
[ˈʊr.sʊs]masculine
The English word 'bear' is translated into Latin as ursus. Wiktionary also lists ursa.
Meaning: large mammal of family Ursidae (noun)
Ways to say it
| Latin | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ursus | [ˈʊr.sʊs] (Classical Latin, narrow) [ˈur.sus] (narrow) |
masculine |
| ursa | [ˈʊr.sa] (Classical Latin, narrow) [ˈur.sa] (narrow) |
feminine |
The word refers to the large mammal of the family Ursidae.
Which one should you use?
ursus is the masculine form, while ursa is the feminine form.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun is categorized by gender. Use ursus for a masculine bear and ursa for a feminine bear.
Did you know?
- The word ursus might not be the original name for the animal, but a 'taboo distortion' used to avoid saying the real name.
- The Latin root urs- is the basis for the English word 'ursine', which describes things relating to bears.
Examples in context
- Ubi est ursus niger?Where is the black bear?This sentence is useful for identifying the location of a ursus.Tatoeba #11159459 by carlosalberto, translation #11159447 by carlosalberto
- Ursus me consecutus est.The bear ran after me.This sentence shows a ursus pursuing a person.Tatoeba #7037720 by alexmarcelo, translation #48603 by CK
- Ursus murmurat 'mum mum'.The bear growls 'grr grr'.This sentence illustrates the sound made by a ursus.Tatoeba #7137568 by jimkillock, translation #7137571 by jimkillock
- Ursus est animal fortissimum.The bear is a very strong animal.
- Ursus arctos est animal incredibile!The brown bear is an incredible animal!
- 17 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julia and Marcus are looking at a picture in a book.
- JuliaEcce ursus magnus in libro.Look, a large bear in the book.
- MarcusIta, ursus est bellus.Yes, the bear is cute.
- JuliaNum ursus timendus est?Is the bear to be feared?
- MarcusEgo ursum non timeo.I am not afraid of the bear.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bear” translations and entries ursus, ursa, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ursa, ursus, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
