philomela

See also: Philomela

Latin

Etymology

Figurative usage of Philomēla, from Ancient Greek Φιλομήλη (Philomḗlē), from φίλος (phílos, “love”) +‎ μῆλον (mêlon, “apple; fruit; sheep”), but folk-etymologized since at least Ovid's time as "lover of song".

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /pʰi.loˈmeː.la/, [pʰɪɫ̪ɔˈmeːɫ̪ä]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /fi.loˈme.la/, [filoˈmɛːlä]

Proper noun

philomēla f (genitive philomēlae); first declension

1. (literary zoology, originally) The swallow.
2. (literary zoology, mistakenly) The nightingale.

Declension

First-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	philomēla	philomēlae
Genitive	philomēlae	philomēlārum
Dative	philomēlae	philomēlīs
Accusative	philomēlam	philomēlās
Ablative	philomēlā	philomēlīs
Vocative	philomēla	philomēlae

References

• “Phĭlŏmēla”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• Phĭlŏmēla in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.