A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

Elephant: elephantus,-i (s.m.II), abl. sg. elephanto; elephas,-antis (s.m.III), abl. sg. elephante, nom. & acc. pl. elephantes, gen.pl. elephantum; elephans,-antis (s.m.III), abl. sg. elephante [from the Greek elephas]; see proboscis,-idis (s.f.III), “elephant’s trunk.”

NOTE: not elaphos (s.m.II), the deer; see elapho-: in Gk. comp.

Belua,-ae (s.f.I), also bellua,-ae (s.f.I): “a beast distinguished for size or ferocity, a monster (as an elephant, lion, wild boar, whale, etc.) cf. bestia, fera” (Lewis & Short);

- pecus Indicus, abl. sg. pecude Indico: the elephant [pecus, q.v., gen. sg. pecudis (s.f.III), a single animal of a herd].

- elephanto beluarum nulla prudentior, none of the wild animals is wiser than the elephant.

- ea genera beluarum, quae in Rubro Mari Indiave gignantur (Cicero); those types of giant animals which can be brought forth at the Red Sea or India.

- “asperrimam autem feram monocerotem, reliquo corpore equo similem, capite cervo, pedibus elephanto, cauda apro, mugitu gravi, uno cornu nigro media fronte cubitorum duum eminente (Pliny)” ...(Lewis & Short), additionally, a most fierce, wild monoceros [i.e. unicorn], [in the rest of the body] similar to a horse, with the head [similar to a deer], with the feet to an elephant, with the tail to a [wild boar], with a [harsh] bellowing, with a single [glossy] black horn projecting in the middle head, of two cubits [i.e. 36 inches].

- Elephas est plantae genus, flore monopetalo, anomalo, personato, in duo labia disticto, quorum superius proboscidem refert Elephantinam, inferius vero multifariam dividitur. Ex calyce autem surgit pistillum posticae floris parti adinstar clavi infixum, quod deinde abit in fructum in duo loculamenta divisum seminibusque foetum ut plurimum oblongis (Tourne.), Elephas is a kind of plant, with a monpetalus flower, irregular, personate, divided into two distinct lips, the upper of which resembles an elephant’s trunk, but the lower is divided in many places. Furthermore, the pistil stands up from the calyx on the back part of the flower driven in like a nail, which in the end changes into the fruit, divided into two compartments and is nearly always filled with oblong seeds.

- Elephantis species sunt: Elephas Italica, flore magno, proboscide surrecta; Elephas Campoclarensiam; Elephas Orientalis flore parvo, proboscide surrecta; Elephas Orientalis, flore magno, proboscide incurva (Tourne.), the species of Elephas are: Elephas Italica, with a large flower, the proboscis nearly upright; Elephas Campoclarensis; Elephas Orientalis with a small flower, the proboscis somewhat upright; Elephas Orientalis, with the flower large, the proboscis incurved.

- Arbores omnium maximas & altissimas India utraque aliasque regiones fervidae producunt: qua calor maxime viget (Ray), each India [i.e. both East and West Indies] and other sweltering hot regions produce the biggest and tallest trees of all, in which the heat flourishes [i.e. intensifies] the most.

- “Quaque dies medius flagrantibus aestuat horis,” (Ray), every noontime boils with flaming hours [i.e. hours on fire].

- Ibidem & animalia visendae magnitudinis: in Quadrupedibus Elephas, Rhinoceros, Hippopotamus; in Avibus Struthio & Emeu; in Serpentino genere, Crocodilus aliique stupendae longitudinis & crassitiei, in Exanguibus aquaticis testaceis Murices, Buccina aliaque portentosae molis innumera nascuntur (Ray), in the same place arise animals for the observing of magnitude: among the Quadrupeds the Elephant, Rhinoceros, Hippopotamus, among the birds the Ostrich and Emu; among the serpentine [i.e. crawling] sort, the Crocodile and others of astonishing length and thickness; among the aquatic bloodless [sc. animals], the aquatic testaceous Murexes, the Buccina [i.e. Welks] and countless others of monstrous hugeness.