baculum

Learned borrowing from Latin baculum (“stick, staff, sceptre, cudgel”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈbæk.jə.ləm/

baculum (plural baculums or bacula)

1. (zoology) A bone found in the penis of some placental mammals.

   Synonyms: os penis, penis bone, penile bone

   • 2018 January 24, Elsa Panciroli, The Guardian:

     Bacula can be straight rods, s-shaped curves, or even bizarre, flared scoops.

2. A small rod-like structure found in spores and pollen.
   • 1993, M. R. Saxena, Palynology: A Treatise, page 34:

     The sexine usually consists of two main parts, a partially or wholly covering layer — the tectum (roof) and below that the rods or rod-like elements — the bacules (baculum, columella).

Learned borrowing from Latin baculum.

• IPA^(key): /baː.ky.lʏm/
• Hyphenation: ba‧cu‧lum

baculum n (plural bacula)

1. penis bone

   Synonyms: penisbot, penisbeen

• baculus (rare)

From Proto-Italic *bakklom, from Proto-Indo-European *baktlom, from *bak- (“stick”). Cognate with Ancient Greek βάκτρον (báktron), βακτηρία (baktēría), English peg. See also beccus.

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈba.ku.lum/, [ˈbäkʊɫ̪ʊ̃ˑ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈba.ku.lum/, [ˈbäːkulum]

baculum n (genitive baculī); second declension

1. walking stick, cane, staff
2. sceptre, rod, verge (staff of office)
3. stick, cudgel
4. (Medieval Latin) a stick used as a symbol of warranty or in transfers of property
5. (Ecclesiastical Latin) a support, stay
6. (Ecclesiastical Latin) crosier
7. (zoology) a penis bone

Second-declension noun (neuter).

• bacillum, bacillus
• baculāris
• imbēcillus

• Catalan: bàcul
• English: baculum
• French: bâcle
• Galician: bagoo (archaic), báculo (borrowing)
• Irish: bachall
• Italian: abbacchio, bacchio, bacolo
• → Portuguese: báculo (learned)
• Sardinian: baculu
• → Spanish: báculo (learned)
• → Welsh: bagl (“crook, staff”)

• “baculum”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “baculum”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• baculum in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• “baculum”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “baculum”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin
• Niermeyer, Jan Frederik (1976) “baculus”, in Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden, Boston: E. J. Brill, page 76