esca

== English == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈɛskə/ === Etymology 1 === From Latin ēsca (“bait”). ==== Noun ==== esca (plural escae) (ichthyology) The fleshy growth from an anglerfish's head that acts as a lure for its prey. (phytopathology) A fungal disease afflicting grapes. ===== Synonyms ===== (anglerfish growth): illicium (fungal disease): black measles ===== Translations ===== === Etymology 2 === From Galician escá, from Hispanic Late Latin scala (“bowl”) attested in Isidore of Seville, probably from Suevic, from Proto-Germanic *skēlō (“bowl”). Cognate with German Schale and Dutch schaal. ==== Noun ==== esca (plural escas) (historical) A traditional Galician unit of dry measure, equivalent to about 6–9 L depending on the substance measured. (historical) A kind of measuring cup once used for measuring escas of grain. ===== Coordinate terms ===== (unit of dry volume): cuartillo (1⁄12 esca), cunca (1⁄6 esca), ferrado (2 escas), fanega (10 escas) === Anagrams === ACEs, ASCE, Aces, CASE, Case, Ceas, SCEA, aces, aesc, case, æsc == Asturian == === Alternative forms === yesca === Etymology === From Latin ēsca. === Noun === esca f (plural esques) tinder (dry plants used to light a fire) == Catalan == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): (Central) [ˈɛs.kə] IPA(key): (Balearic) [ˈəs.kə] IPA(key): (Valencia) [ˈes.ka] === Etymology 1 === Inherited from Latin ēsca. ==== Noun ==== esca f (plural esques) amadou (substance derived from the hoof fungus) tinder (dry plants used to light a fire) (figurative) spur, impetus, stimulus Synonym: incentiu bait (substance used in catching fish) Synonym: esquer ===== Derived terms ===== bolet d’esca escar ==== Further reading ==== “esca”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007 “esca” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962. === Etymology 2 === ==== Verb ==== esca inflection of escar: third-person singular present indicative second-person singular imperative == Galician == === Alternative forms === isca === Etymology === Circa 1300. From Old Galician-Portuguese, from Latin ēsca. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈeska̝/ === Noun === esca f (plural escas) tinder (dry plants used to light a fire) bait ==== Derived terms ==== chisqueiro esqueiro === References === Seoane, Ernesto Xosé González; Granja, María Álvarez de la; Agrelo, Ana Isabel Boullón (2006–2022), “ysca”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval [Dictionary of dictionaries of Medieval Galician] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega Barreiro, Xavier Varela; Guinovart, Xavier Gómez (2006–2018), “esca”, in Corpus Xelmírez: corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval [Corpus Xelmírez: linguistic corpus of Medieval Galicia] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “esca”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “esca”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “esca”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN == Italian == === Etymology 1 === From Latin ēsca. ==== Pronunciation ==== IPA(key): /ˈes.ka/ Rhymes: -eska Hyphenation: é‧sca ==== Noun ==== esca f (plural esche) (obsolete) (animal) food (obsolete, uncommon, also figurative) food bait, lure (anything used to catch animals) (figurative) bait, lure (anything that allures or attracts) (figurative) decoy tinder ===== Derived terms ===== ==== Further reading ==== esca in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana === Etymology 2 === See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form. ==== Pronunciation ==== IPA(key): /ˈɛs.ka/ Rhymes: -ɛska Hyphenation: è‧sca ==== Verb ==== esca inflection of uscire: first/second/third-person singular present subjunctive third-person singular imperative === Anagrams === asce, case, seca == Latin == === Alternative forms === isca (Medieval Latin) === Etymology === For Proto-Italic *ēsskā, Proto-Indo-European *h₁ēd-s-keh₂, from *h₁ed- (“eat”), the root of edō (“eat”). Judging by Lithuanian ėskà (“food, fodder”), the long vowel is of PIE origin, but despite this often cited as an example of Lachmann's lengthening. === Pronunciation === (Classical Latin) IPA(key): [ˈeːs.ka] (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): [ˈɛs.ka] === Noun === ēsca f (genitive ēscae); first declension (collective) food Synonyms: cibus, alimentum, vīctus, cibāria an individual serving, a dish Synonyms: ferculum, epulum (collective) fodder Synonym: pābulum (collective) bait (collective) fuel, especially firewood Synonyms: māteria, nūtrīmentum (collective) kindling, tinder Synonyms: fōmentum, nūtrīmentum ==== Declension ==== First-declension noun. An archaic/dialectal form of the genitive singular, ēscās (for the classically usual ēscae) is cited by Priscian from Livius Andronicus. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Descendants ==== === References === === Further reading === “esca”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press “esca”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers "esca", 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) “esca”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette. “ēsca” in the Thesaurus Linguae Latinae (TLL Open Access), Berlin (formerly Leipzig): De Gruyter (formerly Teubner), 1900–present == Spanish == === Etymology === Borrowed from Latin ēsca. Compare the inherited doublet yesca. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈeska/ [ˈes.ka] Rhymes: -eska Syllabification: es‧ca === Noun === esca f (plural escas) (dated) bait (substance used in catching fish) Synonym: cebo ==== Related terms ==== === References === === Further reading === “esca”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025