ursus
[ˈʊr.sʊs]masculine
The Latin word for bear is 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 a 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?
ursus is a masculine noun. The feminine form is ursa.
Did you know?
- Some linguists believe ursus is a 'taboo distortion', meaning the original word was intentionally changed because people feared that saying the true name of a bear would summon one.
- The Latin word ursus provides the root for the scientific name of the brown bear, Ursus arctos.
Examples in context
- Ubi est ursus niger?Where is the black bear?This sentence is useful for asking the location of a black bear using ursus.Tatoeba #11159459 by carlosalberto, translation #11159447 by carlosalberto
- Ursus me consecutus est.The bear ran after me.This sentence is useful for describing a bear pursuing someone using ursus.Tatoeba #7037720 by alexmarcelo, translation #48603 by CK
- Ursus murmurat 'mum mum'.The bear growls 'grr grr'.This sentence is useful for depicting the sound a bear makes using ursus.Tatoeba #7137568 by jimkillock, translation #7137571 by jimkillock
- ursus maritimusPolar bear
- 17 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julia and Gaius are looking at a picture in a book.
- JuliaVide, Gai! Hic ursus est maxime terribilis.Look, Gaius! This bear is very terrible.
- GaiusIta vero, sed ursus in silva habitat.True, but the bear lives in the forest.
- JuliaNumquam tam magnum ursum vidi.I have never seen such a big bear.
- GaiusFortasse hic ursus est rex silvae.Perhaps this bear is the king of the forest.
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.
