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LATIN · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

exemplum.

example, sample, specimen; instance; precedent, case; warning, deterrent; pattern, model; parallel, analogy; archetype; copy/reproduction, transcription;

8 characters3 syllables approx.Latina language

Meaning & usage

noun[ɛkˈsɛm.pɫũː]Classical-Latin[eɡˈzɛm.plum]
  1. a sample, example

    declension-2 · neuter
  2. a warning example, deterrent

    declension-2 · neuter
    esse in exemplō
  3. torture, exemplary penalty, chastisement

    declension-2 · neuter
  4. deed, memorable circumstance

    declension-2 · neuter
  5. precedent, case, custom

    declension-2 · neuter
  6. depiction, paint

    declension-2 · neuter
  7. confrontation, comparison

    declension-2 · neuter
  8. a copy or transcript

    declension-2 · neuter
Where this word comes from

Ultimately from eximō (“to take out, take away”), itself from ex + emō. Hypothesized to go back to *exem-lom, with epenthesis turning *-ml- into -mpl-; another possible example of this change is amplus. However, Leumann 1977 argues the use of voiceless -p- rather than voiced -b- as the epenthetic consonant is unusual, and suggests it may have been influenced somehow by exēmptus. Compare templum. Possibly compare also instrument nouns ending in -ulum, such as capulum, dēcipulum, speculum. It is debated whether the ending in these comes from pre-Latin *-elom, the neuter form of the agent noun suffix *-elos (Classical Latin -ulus), or from the Proto-Indo-European instrument noun suffix *-tlom (which normally became Latin -culum, but which may have alternatively developed to -ulum after stop consonants).

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.