Latin

[ lat-n ]

/ ˈlæt n /

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noun

an Italic language spoken in ancient Rome and used as the official language of the Roman Empire. Abbreviation: L

one of the forms of literary Latin, as Medieval Latin, Late Latin, Biblical Latin, or Liturgical Latin, or of nonclassical Latin, as Vulgar Latin.

a native or inhabitant of Latium; an ancient Roman.

Rare. a member of any of the Latin peoples, or those speaking chiefly Romance languages, especially a native of or émigré from Latin America.

Rare. a member of the Latin Church; a Roman Catholic, as distinguished from a member of the Greek Church.

adjective

denoting or pertaining to those peoples, as the Italians, French, Spanish, Portuguese, etc., using languages derived from Latin, especially the peoples of Central and South America: Her landlord is Latin.Latin dance is one of his hobbies.See also Latino (def. 1).

of or relating to the Latin Church.

of or relating to Latium, its inhabitants, or their language.

of or relating to the Latin alphabet.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of Latin

First recorded before 950; Middle English, Old English from Latin Latīnus; see Latium, -ine¹

OTHER WORDS FROM Latin

an·ti-Lat·in, adjectivenon-Lat·in, adjective, nounpre-Lat·in, adjective, nounpro-Lat·in, adjective

qua·si-Lat·in, adjective

Other definitions for Latin (2 of 2)

Latin@

or la·ti·n@

[ luh-tee-noh-luh-tee-nuh, la‐ ]

/ ləˈti noʊ ləˈti nə, læ‐ /

adjective

of or relating to people of Latin American origin or descent, especially those living in the United States (used in place of the masculine form Latino or the feminine form Latina): The school promoted Latin American awareness during Latin@ Heritage Month.

noun, plural La·ti·n@s.

a person of Latin American origin or descent, especially one living in the United States (used in place of the masculine form Latino or the feminine form Latina): Latin@s in high-tech fields.

Origin of Latin@

First recorded in 1995–2000; from the superficial resemblance of @ as a combination of a and o;see Latinx

how to pronounce Latin@

The unusually constructed word Latin@ is more commonly used in writing than in speech, probably because the final character poses a pronunciation challenge. Most speakers don't assign “@” a sound at all, often pronouncing Latin@ by running the two intended forms together, as “Latino-Latina.” Others have postulated that the final vowel might rhyme with “cow,” as [luh-tee-nou], /ləˈti naʊ/, splitting the @ into “a” and “o.” However, research has shown this to be quite rare.

historical usage of Latin@

See Latinx.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Latin in a sentence

It dates to 1740s Britain and of course was written originally in Latin (“Adeste Fideles”).
Yes, I Like Christmas Music. Stop Laughing.|Michael Tomasky|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
BOGOTÁ, Colombia — Most Latin Americans celebrated the rapprochement between the United States and Cuba.
Venezuela Says Goodbye to Its Lil Friend, While the Rest of the Continent Cheers|Catalina Lobo-Guererro|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Similar stories plague many parts of Latin America, Africa, and Eastern Asia.
Promoting Girls’ Education Isn’t Enough: Malala Can Do More|Paula Kweskin|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In fact, beer prices in Panama are about 36 percent lower than anywhere else in Latin America.
House of the Witch: The Renegade Craft Brewers of Panama|Jeff Campagna|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Panamanians are by far the biggest beer consumers in Latin America, but not when it comes to the good stuff.
House of the Witch: The Renegade Craft Brewers of Panama|Jeff Campagna|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He could go and live over in the Latin Quarter—that 's the desire of his heart—and think of nothing but old bottles.
Confidence|Henry James
So far we have not made great progress in securing Europe's Latin-American trade.
Readings in Money and Banking|Chester Arthur Phillips
Every monumental inscription should be in Latin; for that being a dead language, it will always live.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
Several uneducated business men are said to have written to the Dean asking the Latin for what they think of the new Budget.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 158, April 28, 1920|Various
The descriptions of allegorical personages in this poem are clearly imitated from similar descriptions in Latin poets.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 1 (of 7) -- Romaunt of the Rose; Minor Poems|Geoffrey Chaucer

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 groupSee 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

of or relating to the Latin language, the ancient Latins, or Latium

characteristic of or relating to those peoples in Europe and Latin America whose languages are derived from Latin

of or relating to the Roman Catholic Church

denoting or relating to the Roman alphabet

Word Origin for Latin

Old English latin and læden Latin, language, from Latin Latīnus of Latium

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.