A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

-CEPS (Latin suffix), two etymologies:

1. A: as noun, -CEPS, gen.sg. –CIPIS (s.m.III): “masc. suffix from capio, to take, catch: formed from sbs. to denote one who takes or catches” (Glare) [> L. capio, cepi, captum, to choose, select, elect, take, pick out, adopt, accept a person for a particular purpose or to sustain a particular office or relation” (Lewis & Short)];

Particeps,-cipis (s.m.III), a sharer, partaker, partner; comrade > L. pars, gen.sg. partis + capio, a partaker, catcher.

        singular          plural       
  Nom. particeps         participes
  Gen. participis        participum   
  Dat. participi         participibus
  Acc. participem        participes
  Abl. participe         participibus

Auceps,-upis, abl.sg. aucupe (s.m.III): a bird-catcher, fowler; a bird-seller, poulterer (Glare) [> L. avis, bird + ceps].

Forceps,-cipitis (s., m. and f., III), acc. sg. forcipitem, abl. sg. forcipite, gen. plur. forcipum: a pair of tongs, pincers, forceps.

Princeps,-cipis (s.m.III), q.v. ‘first person’ > L. primus + capio: first taker, catcher.

B: as adj. suffix: -ceps, gen.sg. –cipis (adj.B):

princeps,-cipis (adj.B): first; chief, principal; the most distinguished (i.e. person):

         singular               plural
Nom.     princeps            principes/principia
Gen.     principis             principium
Dat.     principi              principibus
Acc.  principem/princeps  principes/principia
Abl.     principi              principibus

NOTE: abl.sg. of the adj. ends in –i (Glare); the gen.pl. in -ium.

NOTE: the adj. drescribes either male or female nouns, whereas the noun (princeps) refers to a male (a prince); principissa,-ae (s.f.I), q.v., to a princess.

particeps, gen.sg. participis (adj.B); [pars-capio], part-taking, partaking, sharing, participant; syn. consors, socius; usu. with gen. also with dat.; cf. participalis,-e (adj.B): sharing, partaking, participant; in grammar: participial.

- Genus characterum Leptoceratis, Drakeae, Spiculaeae et Caleyanae magis minusve particeps (F. Mueller), the genus is more or less a sharer [i.e. partaker] of the characters of Leptoceras, Drakea, Spicula and Caleyana.

2.–CEPS,-CIPITIS (adj.B), classically, adjectival suffix only: having (so many, or such a) head, -headed [> L. caput,-cipitis (s.n.III), q.v.] with prepositional or numerical prefixes: anceps, praeceps, biceps (Glare);

-ceps, gen. sg.-cipitis (adj.B): in L. comp., -headed [> L. caput,-itis), dat. sg. -cipiti, abl. sg. -cipite: in L. comp.: -headed, q.v.

               singular                            plural
         m. & f.        n.                   m. & f.       n.
Nom.     -ceps        -ceps                 -cipites    -cipitia
Gen.          -cipitis                           -cipitium
Dat.          -cipiti                            -cipitibus
Acc.     -cipitem     -ceps                 -cipites    -cipitia
Abl.          -cipiti                            -cipitibus

NOTE: the abl.sg. ends in –e (Glare); however, there are many textual exceptions that end in –i.

A classical example of this combination includes:

anceps, gen.sg. ancipitis (adj.B), q.v.; with two heads, also with two edges;

     singular        plural
Nom. anceps      ancipites/ancipitia
Gen  ancipitis   ancipitium
Dat. ancipiti    ancipitibus
Acc. ancipitem   anceps   ancipites/ancipitia
Abl. ancipite    ancipitibus

- [Cakile] siliqua 2-articulata, indehiscens, articulo inferiore compresso, ancipiti (B&H), silique 2-jointed, indehiscent, with the lower joint compressed, two-edged.

                singular                            plural
                 m.f.n.                              m.f.n.
Nom.          breviceps                   (m.f.) brevicipites  (n.) brevicipitia
Gen.          brevicipitis                         brevicipitium
Dat.          brevicipiti                          brevicipitibus
Acc.   (m/f) brevicipitem/ [n] breviceps  (m.f.) brevicipites  (n.) brevicipitia
Abl.          brevicipite                          brevicipitibus

NOTE: adj. abl.sg. ends in –e (Glare); but in many textual examples, the abl.sg. ending is -i. B&H often use -cipite as abl. sg.

- angusticeps,-cipitis, narrow-headed; breviceps, short-headed; caniceps, dog-headed; claviceps, club-headed; crassiceps, gen. sg. crassicipitis, with thick heads; dissiticeps, with remote heads; globiceps, with globular heads; graciliceps, with slender heads; laniceps, wooly-headed; laticeps, gen.sg. laticipitis, with wide heads; magniceps, with great heads; parviceps, small-headed; pubiceps, with pubescent heads; sessiliceps, with a head or heads sessile; stellaticeps, starry-headed; villosiceps, with villous heads.

- bulbiceps,-cipitis (adj.B): bulbiceps, ‘bulb-headed,’ “a stem, bulbous at the base” (Lindley); a stem bulbous at base” (Jackson).

- multiceps,-cipitis (adj.B), q.v.; multicipitalis,-e (adj.B), many-headed; multicipital; “having many crowns, as some roots” (Lindley); “with many heads; it refers to the crown of a single root” (Jackson); “with many heads, referring to the crown of a single root or to several caudices” (Fernald 1950).

- radice crassa, perennante, multicipiti (B&H), with the root thick, perennating (i.e. over-wintering], many-headed.

- radice elongata, perenni; collo multicipiti (B&H), with the root elongate, perennial; with the neck many-headed.

- rhizomate crasso multicipiti apice folioso (B&H), with the rhizome thick, many-headed, leafy at the apex. NOTE: B&H often use -cipite as abl. sg.:

- radice gracili 1-3-cipite (B&H), with the root slender 1-3-headed [-crowned].

- praeceps, q.v., head-first, head-long, swift; steep, precipitous.

Animals: anaticeps, having a duck’s head, DUCK’S HEAD; aviceps, bird-headed (Aviceps pumila (Orchidaceae); caniceps, dog-headed; onagriceps, ass-headed.

Colors: atriceps, black-headed; fulviceps, tawny-headed; nigriceps, black-headed; rubriceps, with red heads.

Numbers: anceps or anciceps, that has two heads, two-headed; biceps, having two heads, two-headed, also divided into two parts, of a mountain which has two summits, two-peaked; centiceps,-cipitis, hundred-headed; sescenticeps seticeps, six-hundred-headed; triceps, with three heads.

NOTE: this adj. may also be represented numerically: 1-ceps,-cipitis, one-headed; 2-ceps, two-headed; 1-3-ceps, 1-3-headed.

triceps,-cipitis (adj.B); 3-ceps,-cipitis (adj.B): (tres-caput) having three heads, triple-headed; threefold.

- [KYLLINGA triceps] culmus basi plerumque decumbens, nudus, 3-gonus, involucrum 3-phyllum (Swartz), the culm at the base usually decumbent, naked, three-angled ... the involcre with three leaves.

NOTE: (generic) nouns like Claviceps derive from [> L. caput, gen.sg. capitis (s.n.III), the head (WIII)]

        singular          plural       
  Nom. Claviceps       Clavicipites       (s.f.III) note generic names in -ceps
  Gen. Clavicipitis    Clavicipitum        are feminine.
  Dat. Clavicipiti     Clavicipitibus
  Acc. Clavicipitem    Clavicipites
  Abl. Clavicipite     Clavicipitibus

- Clavicipiti similis, sed sclerotio non producenti differt, similar to Claviceps but it differs in not producing a sclerotium.

Claviceps,-cipitis Tul. (s.f.III), the epithet of the Order is Clavicipitales, family Clavicipitaceae. Claviceps purpurea (Fr.) Tul. is the cause of ergot, causing the disease of ergotism of two types, the gangrenous St. Antony's Fire of the medieval period, and the spasmodic.

Multiceps,-cipitis (s.f.III), a genus of tapeworms of the family Taeniidae that are parasitic on ruminants, rodents.