2.4 Latin vocabulary
The links between Latin and English vocabulary are good news for students of Latin. Because of the presence of so many words of Latin origin in English, many Latin words are relatively easy for English speakers to absorb. Indeed, some Latin words are almost identical to their English equivalents, as shown in Table 2.
| Latin word | English meaning |
|---|---|
| adulescens | young man, youth, adolescent |
| affirmo | I affirm |
| desidero | I desire |
| finis | finish, end |
| pars | part |
| persuadeo | I persuade |
| rapidus | rapid, swift |
| respondeo | I reply, respond |
| similis | similar, like |
| templum | temple |
The fact that Latin words often have English derivatives can also make them relatively straightforward to learn.
| Latin word | English derivations |
|---|---|
| familia, household | family |
| filius, son | filial |
| habito, I live, dwell | habitat |
| celo, I hide | conceal |
| clamo, I shout | exclaim |
| intro, I enter | enter |
| porto, I carry | porter |
| timeo, I fear | timid |
| voco, I call | vocation (i.e. a 'calling') |
| amo, I love | amiable |
| curo, I look after | curator |
Activity 3
Now it’s time to do a little vocabulary building. How many of the following common Latin words can you guess the meaning of? Type your answers next to the Latin words in the box provided.
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Answer
| Latin word | English meaning |
|---|---|
| arma | arms, weapons |
| causa | cause, reason |
| custos | guard (custodian) |
| defendo | I defend |
| diffiicilis | difficult |
| elephantus | elephant |
| femina | woman (feminine) |
| frater | brother (fraternal) |
| nomen | name (nominal) |
| optimus | very good, excellent (optimal) |
| pater | father (paternal) |
| servus | slave (servant) |