Latin
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.
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.
Origin of Latin
1Other words from Latin
- an·ti-Lat·in, adjective
- non-Lat·in, adjective, noun
- pre-Lat·in, adjective, noun
- pro-Lat·in, adjective
- qua·si-Lat·in, adjective
Other definitions for Latin@ (2 of 2)
or la·ti·n@
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.
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@
2pronunciation note For Latin@
word story For Latin@
- See also Latinx.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for Latin
/ (ˈlætɪn) /
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
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
Origin of Latin
1Collins 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
Notes for Latin
Notes for Latin
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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