A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin


Air: aer, gen.sg. aeris (s.m.III), acc. sg. aerem, dat. sg. aeri, abl. sg. aere, nom. & acc. pl. aeres, dat. & acc. pl. aeribus; 'properly the lower atmosphere, as opposed to the aether, the upper pure air’ (Lewis & Short) [> Gk. Greek aEr [alpha, eta], gen.sg. aeros (s.f.III], mist, haze, lower air; opp. aithEr, gen.sg. aithEros (s.f.III), aether, ether, the heaven, of the sky, air; clime, region (Liddell & Scott); air; atmosphaera,-ae (s.f.I), atmosphere; see atmosphere; see weather; see coelum,-i (s.n.II), abl. sg. coelo, also caelum,-i (s.n.II), abl. sg. caelo, the sky, a climate, the weather, atmosphere, temperature, the air; see aer, gen. sg. aeris (s.m.III); see aether,-eris (s.m.III); - aer liber, gen.sg. aeris liberi, abl. sg. aere libero, the free air. - [moss] semina luteo viridia, ab accessu aeris siccescentia, brevi fuscum colorem contrahunt (Hedw.), the seeds [i.e. spores] yellow-green, drying out with the approach of the air, short, they occasion a blackish-brown color. - [fungus] sub dio in regionibus nostris, sed constanter atmosphaera tepente (S&A), under the open sky in our regions, but constantly in a tepid atmosphere. - paullo post substantia fuscescente ac persistente exacte ad instar cruoris animalis aeri expositi, somewhat afterward the substance grows brownish and persistent exactly like the blood of animals when exposed to the air. Aether,-eris (s.m.III), abl. sg. aethere: “the upper, pure, bright air, the ether; heaven; air in general; the brightness surrounding a deity” (Lewis & Short) Aethra,-ae (s.f.I): = Gk. aithra, the upper, pure air, the bright, clear, serene sky (Lewis & Short). NOTE: distinct from aes, q.v., gen. sg. aeris (s.n.III), acc. sg. aes, dat. sg. aes, abl. sg. aere, nom. & acc. pl. aera, gen. pl. aerum, dat. & abl. pl. aeribus, ‘copper.’ Aes is a neuter noun, aer a masculine one. NOTE: Jovis,-is (s.m.III) (Iovis,-is), acc. sg. Jovem, dat. sg. Jovi, abl. sg. Jove, = the Roman Juppiter, may refer poetically to the sky or heaven, or the air: sub Jove, in the open air; sub Jove frigido, under a cold sky, in cold weather. Also sub divo or sub dio; see divum,-i (s.n.II). NOTE: coelum,-i (s.n.II), abl. sg. coelo, also caelum,-i (s.n.II), abl. sg. caelo: the sky, heaven, the heavens; the weather, atmosphere, temperature, the air; - caelum hic, in quo nubes, imbres ventique coguntur, the atmosphere in this place in which the clouds, rains and winds are driven together.
air-bearing, aeriferous: aerifer, aerifera, aeriferum (adj.A), gen. sg. -feri,-ferae,-feri; - hypha,-ae (s.f.I) aerifera, aeriferous hypha, hyphae that trap air and thus look silvery in appearance. - stratum aeriferum humillimum, costae triplo humilius, canalibus angustis (Steph.), aeriferous layer very low, three times lower than the costa, with narrow canals.
Air-plant: aerophyton,-i (s.n.II): “aerophytes, plants growing wholly in the air; such as epiphytal Orchids, many Lichens, Bromelworts, &c.” (Lindley); “air-plant, epiphyte” (Jackson). NOTE, however, that an epiphyte, q.v., is considered to be a plant that grows upon another plant, but, of course, in the air.