Pharsalia

English

Etymology

From Latin Pharsālia (“the region of Pharsalus”), borrowed as a title for Lucan's poem from a line in the work itself: “Pharsālia nostra / vīvet” (“Our Pharsalia / will live”, book 9, lines 985–6). The original Latin title was Dē Bellō Cīvīlī (“On the Civil War”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌfɑːˈseɪli.ə/
• Rhymes: -eɪliə

Proper noun

Pharsalia

1. An epic poem by the Roman poet Lucan describing Caesar's Civil War.
2. (historical) The Battle of Pharsalus of 48 B.C.E.
   • 1931, Ernst Kantorowicz, translated by Emily Lorimer, Frederick the Second, page 202:

     […] much as Caesar's tale of portents on the day of Pharsalia, showed Caesar in harmony with the Roman Pantheon.

3. (historical) The region around Pharsalus (modern Farsala), a Greek town.

Derived terms

• Pharsalian

Translations

poem by Lucan

• Bulgarian: Фарсалия f (Farsalija)
• Catalan: Farsàlia f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 法沙利亞／法沙利亚 (Fǎshālìyǎ), 內戰紀／内战纪 (Nèizhànjì)

• Czech: Farsalské pole n pl
• French: Pharsale (fr) f
• German: Pharsalia f
• Greek: Φαρσάλια f (Farsália)
• Hungarian: Pharsalia
• Italian: Farsaglia f, Pharsalia f
• Japanese: ファルサリア (Farusaria), パルサリア (Parusaria), 内乱 (ja) (Nairan)
• Korean: 파르살리아 (Pareusallia)
• Latin: Pharsālia f, Dē Bellō Cīvīlī
• Occitan: Farsàlia f
• Polish: Farsalia f
• Portuguese: Farsália f
• Romanian: Farsalia f
• Russian: Фарсалия f (Farsalija)
• Spanish: Farsalia f
• Turkish: Pharsalia

Latin

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Φᾰρσᾱλῐ́ᾱ (Pharsālíā).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /pʰarˈsaː.li.a/, [pʰärˈs̠äːlʲiä]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /farˈsa.li.a/, [färˈsäːliä]

Proper noun

Pharsālia f sg (genitive Pharsāliae); first declension

1. The region around Pharsalus.
2. The Battle of Pharsalus of 48 B.C.E.
3. Lucan's poem, the Pharsalia.

Declension

First-declension noun, singular only.

Case	Singular
Nominative	Pharsālia
Genitive	Pharsāliae
Dative	Pharsāliae
Accusative	Pharsāliam
Ablative	Pharsāliā
Vocative	Pharsālia

References

• Pharsalia in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• “Pharsalia”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers