nuntius

See also: Nuntius

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin nūntius (“messenger”).

Noun

nuntius (plural nuntii)

1. (chiefly theater) A messenger.

   Synonym: nuncius

2. (Roman Catholicism) A nuncio.

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin nuntius.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈnʏn.tsi.ʏs/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: nun‧ti‧us

Noun

nuntius m (plural nuntii or nuntiussen, no diminutive)

1. (Roman Catholicism) a nuncio (diplomatic representative of the Holy See)

Usage notes

The most common plural is nuntii, which is favoured by Catholic sources. The plural nuntiussen is mostly used by the secular press and to a lesser degree by the Protestant press.

Derived terms

• nuntiatuur

Finnish

Etymology

From Latin nūntius.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈnuntius/, [ˈnun̪t̪ius̠]
• Rhymes: -untius
• Syllabification^(key): nun‧ti‧us
• Hyphenation^(key): nun‧ti‧us

Noun

nuntius

1. nuncio

Declension

Inflection of nuntius (Kotus type 39/vastaus, no gradation)
nominative		nuntius	nuntiukset
genitive		nuntiuksen	nuntiusten nuntiuksien
partitive		nuntiusta	nuntiuksia
illative		nuntiukseen	nuntiuksiin
		singular	plural
nominative		nuntius	nuntiukset
accusative	nom.	nuntius	nuntiukset
	gen.	nuntiuksen
genitive		nuntiuksen	nuntiusten nuntiuksien
partitive		nuntiusta	nuntiuksia
inessive		nuntiuksessa	nuntiuksissa
elative		nuntiuksesta	nuntiuksista
illative		nuntiukseen	nuntiuksiin
adessive		nuntiuksella	nuntiuksilla
ablative		nuntiukselta	nuntiuksilta
allative		nuntiukselle	nuntiuksille
essive		nuntiuksena	nuntiuksina
translative		nuntiukseksi	nuntiuksiksi
abessive		nuntiuksetta	nuntiuksitta
instructive		—	nuntiuksin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of nuntius (Kotus type 39/vastaus, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative nuntiukseni nuntiukseni accusative nom. nuntiukseni nuntiukseni gen. nuntiukseni genitive nuntiukseni nuntiusteni nuntiuksieni partitive nuntiustani nuntiuksiani inessive nuntiuksessani nuntiuksissani elative nuntiuksestani nuntiuksistani illative nuntiukseeni nuntiuksiini adessive nuntiuksellani nuntiuksillani ablative nuntiukseltani nuntiuksiltani allative nuntiukselleni nuntiuksilleni essive nuntiuksenani nuntiuksinani translative nuntiuksekseni nuntiuksikseni abessive nuntiuksettani nuntiuksittani instructive — — comitative — nuntiuksineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative nuntiuksesi nuntiuksesi accusative nom. nuntiuksesi nuntiuksesi gen. nuntiuksesi genitive nuntiuksesi nuntiustesi nuntiuksiesi partitive nuntiustasi nuntiuksiasi inessive nuntiuksessasi nuntiuksissasi elative nuntiuksestasi nuntiuksistasi illative nuntiukseesi nuntiuksiisi adessive nuntiuksellasi nuntiuksillasi ablative nuntiukseltasi nuntiuksiltasi allative nuntiuksellesi nuntiuksillesi essive nuntiuksenasi nuntiuksinasi translative nuntiukseksesi nuntiuksiksesi abessive nuntiuksettasi nuntiuksittasi instructive — — comitative — nuntiuksinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative nuntiuksemme nuntiuksemme accusative nom. nuntiuksemme nuntiuksemme gen. nuntiuksemme genitive nuntiuksemme nuntiustemme nuntiuksiemme partitive nuntiustamme nuntiuksiamme inessive nuntiuksessamme nuntiuksissamme elative nuntiuksestamme nuntiuksistamme illative nuntiukseemme nuntiuksiimme adessive nuntiuksellamme nuntiuksillamme ablative nuntiukseltamme nuntiuksiltamme allative nuntiuksellemme nuntiuksillemme essive nuntiuksenamme nuntiuksinamme translative nuntiukseksemme nuntiuksiksemme abessive nuntiuksettamme nuntiuksittamme instructive — — comitative — nuntiuksinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative nuntiuksenne nuntiuksenne accusative nom. nuntiuksenne nuntiuksenne gen. nuntiuksenne genitive nuntiuksenne nuntiustenne nuntiuksienne partitive nuntiustanne nuntiuksianne inessive nuntiuksessanne nuntiuksissanne elative nuntiuksestanne nuntiuksistanne illative nuntiukseenne nuntiuksiinne adessive nuntiuksellanne nuntiuksillanne ablative nuntiukseltanne nuntiuksiltanne allative nuntiuksellenne nuntiuksillenne essive nuntiuksenanne nuntiuksinanne translative nuntiukseksenne nuntiuksiksenne abessive nuntiuksettanne nuntiuksittanne instructive — — comitative — nuntiuksinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative nuntiuksensa nuntiuksensa accusative nom. nuntiuksensa nuntiuksensa gen. nuntiuksensa genitive nuntiuksensa nuntiustensa nuntiuksiensa partitive nuntiustaan nuntiustansa nuntiuksiaan nuntiuksiansa inessive nuntiuksessaan nuntiuksessansa nuntiuksissaan nuntiuksissansa elative nuntiuksestaan nuntiuksestansa nuntiuksistaan nuntiuksistansa illative nuntiukseensa nuntiuksiinsa adessive nuntiuksellaan nuntiuksellansa nuntiuksillaan nuntiuksillansa ablative nuntiukseltaan nuntiukseltansa nuntiuksiltaan nuntiuksiltansa allative nuntiukselleen nuntiuksellensa nuntiuksilleen nuntiuksillensa essive nuntiuksenaan nuntiuksenansa nuntiuksinaan nuntiuksinansa translative nuntiuksekseen nuntiukseksensa nuntiuksikseen nuntiuksiksensa abessive nuntiuksettaan nuntiuksettansa nuntiuksittaan nuntiuksittansa instructive — — comitative — nuntiuksineen nuntiuksinensa

Further reading

• “nuntius”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 14 May 2026

Latin

Alternative forms

• nontius, nountius, nūncius

Etymology

Uncertain; competing hypotheses include:

• From Proto-Indo-European *newH- (“to cry”), whence Sanskrit नु (nu, “to sound out, praise”), नवते (navate, “to cry”), Old Irish núall (“a loud noise”), Tocharian B nu- (“to roar”). This is tentatively favored by De Vaan.
• Contracted from noventius, from an obsolete noveō, from novus, though this is rejected by De Vaan due to the hypothetical proto-form *no(wo)wentio- not making sense morphologically.
• From Proto-Indo-European *new- (“to nod”), same source as Latin *nuō, Ancient Greek νεύω (neúō, “to beckon, nod”) and Old Irish noid (“make known”). This derivation may be a relic of an era when laryngeal theory was not as widely accepted and *newH- (“to cry”) was considered the same root as *new- (“to nod”), in which case the *new- derivation should be discarded.
• From Etruscan [script needed] (nunth, “to bring”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈnuːn.ti.ʊs]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈnun.t͡si.us]

Noun

nūntius m (genitive nūntiī or nūntī, feminine nūntia); second declension

1. a messenger, reporter, courier

   Synonyms: internūntia, praecō

2. an envoy, message, report
3. a command, order, injunction

   Synonyms: dēcrētum, praeceptum, iussus, ēdictum, ēdictiō, scītum, dēcrētiō, mandātum, imperium

4. (in the plural) news, tidings, information

   Synonyms: fāma, indicium

Declension

Second-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	nūntius	nūntiī
genitive	nūntiī nūntī1	nūntiōrum
dative	nūntiō	nūntiīs
accusative	nūntium	nūntiōs
ablative	nūntiō	nūntiīs
vocative	nūntie	nūntiī

¹Found in older Latin (until the Augustan Age).

Related terms

• nūntiō
• nuntium

Descendants

• ⇒ Vulgar Latin: *nuntiolus (diminutive)
  • Italo-Dalmatian:
    • Venetan: nonzolo (“sacristan”)
      • → Italian: nonzolo

Borrowings:

• → Bulgarian: ну́нций (núncij)
• → Catalan: nunci
• → Danish: nuntius
• → Dutch: nuntius
• → English: nuntius
• → Esperanto: nuncio
  • → Ido: nuncio
• → Finnish: nuntius
• → Galician: nuncio
• → German: Nuntius
• → Italian: nunzio
  • → French: nonce
  • → Polish: nuncjusz
  • → Romanian: nunțiu
• → Norwegian Bokmål: nuntius
• → Norwegian Nynorsk: nuntius
• → Occitan: nonci
• → Portuguese: núncio
• → Russian: ну́нций (núncij)
• → Serbo-Croatian: nùncīj / ну̀нцӣј
• → Sicilian: nunziu, Nunziu (surname)
• → Spanish: nuncio
  • → English: nuncio
• → Swedish: nuntie

Further reading

• “nuntius”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “nuntius”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• "nuntius", in Charles du Fresne du Cange, Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• “nuntius”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894), Latin Phrase-Book‎^[2], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • to separate, be divorced (used of man or woman): nuntium remittere alicui (De Or. 1. 40)
    
• Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002), “nŭntius”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), volume 7: N–Pas, page 242

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Latin nuntius (“envoy”).

Noun

nuntius m (definite singular nuntien or nuntiusen, indefinite plural nuntier, definite plural nuntiene)

1. (Roman Catholicism) a nuncio

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Latin nuntius (“envoy”).

Noun

nuntius m (definite singular nuntiusen, indefinite plural nuntiusar, definite plural nuntiusane)

1. (Roman Catholicism) a nuncio