Alnus, huius alni, fœ. gen. Arbor fluuialis, siue palustris. Plin. An alder tree, of which shippes were wont to be made.Alta alnus.Senec. Alnus amica fretis. Stat.Electrifera alnus. Claudian. Fluminea. Sil. Ital. Longa.Ouid. Procera. Virg. Viridis. Virg. Alnus, pro nauigiolo. Claudian. A shippe or boate.Leuis alnus, Virg. Alous apta fluctibus. Lucan.
Lewis and Short: Latin dictionary
alnus, i, f. [akin to Swed. al; A. S. aler; Germ. Eller; Engl. alder, elder], the alder, which flourishes in moist places: Betula alnus, Linn.; cf. Plin. 16, 40, 79, 218; Cat. 17, 18; Verg. G. 2, 110: alnorum umbracula, Cic. Fragm. ap. Macr. S. 6, 4.—Poet., any thing made of alder-wood; so esp., a ship, since it was much used in ship-building: tunc alnos primum fluvii sensere cavatas, Verg. G. 1, 136; so id. ib. 2, 451; Luc. 2, 426: amica fretis, Stat. Th. 6, 106 al.; and of pales or posts, Luc. 2, 486; 4, 422.—The sisters of Phaëton, while bewailing his death, were changed to alders, acc. to Verg. E. 6, 62; cf. with it id. A. 10, 190; Claud. Fescenn. Nupt. Hon. 14.