Latin
[ lat-n ]
/ ˈlæt n /
noun
adjective
OTHER WORDS FROM Latin
Example sentences from the Web for latin
British Dictionary definitions for latin
Latin
/ (ˈlætɪn) /
noun
the language of ancient Rome and the Roman Empire and of the educated in medieval Europe, which achieved its classical form during the 1st century bc. Having originally been the language of Latium, belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European family, it later formed the basis of the Romance group
See Late Latin, Low Latin, Medieval Latin, New Latin, Old Latin See also Romance
a member of any of those peoples whose languages are derived from Latin
an inhabitant of ancient Latium
adjective
Word Origin for Latin
Old English
latin and
læden Latin, language, from Latin
Latīnus of Latium
Cultural definitions for latin
Latin
The language of ancient Rome. When Rome became an empire, the language spread throughout southern and western Europe.
notes for Latin
The modern Romance languages — French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and a few others — are all derived from Latin.
notes for Latin
During the
Middle Ages and the
Renaissance, Latin was the universal language of learning. Even in modern English, many scholarly, technical, and legal terms, such as
per se and
habeas corpus, retain their Latin form.