sucula

Etymology
From, at least when used literally. The more frequent "winch", "windlass" sense is most often explained as a metaphorical extension of this, by the resemblance of the device and the attached apparatus to a sow with her litter; the use of figuratively to refer to a hook or clutching device used with a sucula indicates that this interpretation was certainly salient, whether original or secondary.

Kortlandt 2007, citing Dybo 1961, explains the form's short vowel as from *sŭko- with an originally stressed velar suffix that caused pretonic shortening (which per Dybo is a shared feature of Italic and Celtic). Rasmussen 1999 instead attributes the short vowel to pre-geminate shortening (*sukkla- < *sukkelā-), and argues that Dybo was incorrect to give this as an example of pretonic shortening.

Alternative proposals for the etymology of the "windlass" sense:
 * Per Walde and Hofmann 1954, the "windlass" sense is from a root related to 🇨🇬 and 🇨🇬.
 * Per Lewis and Short 1879, the "windlass" sense is possibly related to Greek, itself of uncertain origin.

Pronunciation
The vowel in the first syllable is short per Gaffiot, Lewis and Short, Walde and Hofmann, and Kortlandt. Lindsay (1892) argues that it scans short where it occurs in Plautus' Rudens (quoted below). De Vaan marks the vowel as long, but notes that per Schrijver, derivatives of sūs may be built on either sū- from the nominative or su- from the oblique forms.

Noun

 * 1)  Diminutive of
 * 2) winch, windlass, capstan (or similar device)
 * 1) winch, windlass, capstan (or similar device)
 * 1) winch, windlass, capstan (or similar device)

Usage notes

 * The literal sense "small female pig" is rare in Classical Latin: Lewis and Short indicate it only occurs in the cited passage from Plautus, where it may be a play on words with the "winch", "windlass" sense. The Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources also provides examples in postclassical glosses.