Latin Adjectives
As you browse our list of Latin adjectives, you may have a bit of a familiar feeling. By various estimates, anywhere between 20 and 60 percent of English vocabulary comes straight from Latin. See how many derivatives you can pick out in the following Latin word list!
- bardus – slow, dull
- brevis – short, brief
- comminus – in close combat
- electus – chosen
- extremus – last, extreme
- gravatus – sick, ill
- gravis – heavy, serious, important, grievous
- hodiernus – of today
- honorabilis – respectful
- idoneus – proper, fitting, capable
- ignarus – ignorant
- ignavus – lazy, inert, sluggish, a coward
- ignotus – unknown, obscure, ignorant
- immortalis – immortal
- incorruptus – genuine, pure
- liquidus – fluid, liquid, flowing
- prudens – prudent, wise
- regius – royal, regal
- rusticus – rustic, rural
- salvus – safe, sound
- serius – serious, grave
- simplex – simple
- tersus – clean, neat
- tutis – protected, safe, secure
- vetus – old
Latin Adverbs
As in English, Latin adverbs are mostly adjectives with a special suffix at the end. Latin takes off the ending and adds -e. English does much the same with -ly. Happening in a happy way? That’s “happily.” Going down fast? That’s “quickly.” However, there are some unusual Latin adverbs you’ll want to memorize, because, like English, the weird adverbs are the important ones. Bene comes up every bit as often as the English word “well.”
- bene – well
- benigne – kindly, generously
- cras – tomorrow
- deinde – next, thereafter
- eminus – from a distance
- graviter – seriously
- heri – yesterday
- hodie – today
- pariter – equally, as well
- quoque – also, too
- quotiens – often
- semper – always, ever
- serio – seriously
- velociter – quickly, swiftly
- vero – in truth, indeed, to be sure
Latin Nouns
A frankly absurd number of English nouns come from Latin. It’s a good rule of thumb that if an English word is longer than two syllables, there’s a good chance it’s from Latin, Greek or both. Yes, both: Latin borrowed many Greek words, then English pillaged Latin.
Latin Nouns A-F
- abbas – father
- abbatia – monastery
- basium – kiss
- benevolentia – benevolence, good will
- caelum – sky, heaven
- calamitas – calamity, disaster
- campana – bell
- caput – head, summit, top
- carmen – poem, song
- commissum – undertaking, that which is entrusted
- delectatio – delight, enjoyment
- dux – leader, general, commander, duke
- ecclesia – church
- episcopus – bishop
- epistula – letter, message
- eventus – consequence, result, experience
- famulus – servant
- fides – promise, engagement, word of honor
- flamma – flame, fire
- frigus – cold, winter, indolence
Latin Nouns G-L
- gaudium – joy, happiness, delight
- gloria – fame, glory
- gravitas – weight, importance
- hereditas – inheritance
- hora – hour, time
- hypocrita – hypocrite
- ictus – blow, bite, thrust
- ignis – fire
- inceptum – beginning, attempt
- juvenis – youth, young man
- labor – labor, work
- limen – threshold
- lingua – language, speech
- linteum – linen, napkin
- ludio – actor, player
- ludus – game, sport
- lues – pestilence, calamity
- lux – light
- luxuria – luxury, opulence
Latin Nouns M-O
- mane – morning
- mare – sea
- maritus – husband
- mater – mother
- materia – material, matter
- matertera – maternal aunt
- matrimonium – marriage
- memoria – memory, remembrance, recall
- missa – holy mass
- monachus – monk
- mundus – world, universe
- natio – nation, people
- natura – nature
- nefas – wrong, sin
- nihilum – nothing
- novitas – newness, novelty
- opera – work, labor
- oratio – speech, oration
Latin Nouns P-X
Latin nouns that start with the letters “p” through “x” include:
- palma – palm
- pater – father
- pax – peace
- placitum – judgment, case, plea
- plorator – lamenter
- ploratus – weeping, lamenting
- pluvia – rain, shower
- pluma – feather, pen
- pulpa – flesh
- rectum – virtue, right
- sacrificum – sacrifice
- sapientia – wisdom
- sermo – discussion, talk, conversation
- servitus – slavery
- spes – hope
- synagoga – synagogue
- tabellae – letter, document
- tempestas – storm, weather
- umbra – shade, shadow
- uxor – wife, spouse
- vestigium – footstep, trace, mark
- vita – life
- voluptas – pleasure
- xiphias – swordfish
Latin Verbs
English verbs don’t derive from Latin quite so often as nouns do. That’s because Latin is inflected and English isn’t. That is, Latin indicates what’s going on with a verb by its ending, while English generally does so by its place in the sentence.
Latin Verbs A-F
- abduco – to take away
- adduco – to lead
- aegresco (also spelled “egresco”) – to fall ill, to become troubled
- capto – to grab, try to get
- comminuo – to scatter, weaken, damage
- commisceo – to intermingle, join, mix
- decerno – to decide, to settle
- defaeco – to cleanse, to purify
- degusto – to taste
- disputo – to discuss
- dormio – to sleep, nap, siesta
- exerceo – to train, to exercise, to practice
- exspecto – to look for, to await
- exstinguo – to extinguish, to put out
- exulto – to exult, be joyful
- facio – to do, to make
Latin Verbs G-M
- gusto – to taste
- ignoro – to be ignorant of, to not know, to neglect, to overlook
- ignosco – to forgive, to pardon
- imitor – to imitate
- inscribo – inscribe
- investigo – to track down, to investigate
- lacesso – to harass, to attack
- lego – to gather, choose, collect
- leto – to kill
- libero – to liberate, set free
- ligo – to bind
- lino – to smear, to dirty
- litigo – to quarrel, to have a dispute
- ludo – to play, to imitate
- macto – to magnify, honor, punish, afflict
- maero – to grieve, sorrow
Latin Verbs N-V
- nego – to deny
- novo – to make anew, refresh, invent
- offero – to bring forward, place before, present, offer, expose
- oro – to speak, to plead, to entreat
- pando – to spread out, extend
- pario – to bear, bring forth, to produce
- ploro – to lament, weep
- quaeso (also spelled “queso”) – to seek for, ask for
- renuo – to deny, to refuse, to reject
- sanctifico – to sanctify, make holy
- sequor – to follow
- sero – to sow, to plant
- transeo – to go over, pass over, go past
- vado – to hasten, to rush
Latin Prepositions
- a (ab) – from, by
- ad – to, toward
- ante – before
- circum – around
- contra – against
- cum – with
- de – down from, concerning, on
- e (ex) – out of, away from
- extra – outside of
- in – in, on, into, onto
- inter – between
- intra – within
- ob – on account of
- per – through, because of, thanks to
- post – after, behind
- prae – before, in front of
- praeter – beyond, except for
- pro – for, on behalf of
- propter – on account of
- sine – without
- sub – under
- super – above
- trans – across
- versus – against
Latin Conjunctions
- aut – or
- et – and
- etiam – also
- neque – nor
- quamquam – although
- quod – because
- sed – but
- tamen – nevertheless