List of English words from Latin verb forms

A very large number of English words are derived from Latin verbs in one way or another. Many of these are derived directly from the stem of the Latin verb, such as English evoke from Latin ēvoc-ō 'call out'. Others are derived from the stem of the supine form of the Latin verb, such as English collect from Latin colligō 'gather', whose supine was collēct-um. In other cases, English words are derived from the stem of the French reflex of a Latin word, such as conceive from Old French concevoir, from Latin concipiō.

In comparatively few cases, however, is an English word derived directly from an inflected form of a Latin verb. What follows is a list of English words that are borrowed from Latin finite verb forms and infinitive forms without having significantly changed their form in English. Latin verbs are also given in their citation form, which in Latin is ordinarily the first-person singular present tense in the indicative mood and active voice.

  • affidavit: Latin affidāvit 'he has pledged', third-person singular perfect tense of affidō
  • audio: Latin audiō 'I hear', first-person singular
  • caret: Latin caret 'it is missing', third-person singular of careō
  • certiorari: short for Latin certiōrārī volūmus 'we wish to be informed'; certiōrārī 'to be informed' is the passive infinitive of certiōrō
  • caveat: Latin caveat 'let him beware', third-person singular subjunctive of caveō
  • credo: Latin crēdō 'I believe', first-person singular
  • deficit: Latin dēficit 'it is lacking', third-person singular of dēficiō
  • exit: Latin exit 'he or she goes out', third-person singular of exeō
  • fiat: Latin fiat 'let it come to be', third-person singular subjunctive of fīō
  • habitat: Latin habitat 'it inhabits', third-person singular of habitō
  • ignoramus: Latin ignōrāmus 'we do not know', first-person plural of ignōrō
  • imprimatur: Latin imprimātur 'let it be imprinted', third-person singular passive subjunctive of imprimō
  • interest: Latin interest 'it is of importance', impersonal verb
  • lavabo: Latin lavābō 'I will wash', first-person singular future tense of lavō
  • placebo: Latin placēbō 'I will please', first-person singular future tense of placeō
  • posse: short for Latin posse comitātūs 'power of the county'; posse is the infinitive of possum 'be able' with the medieval Latin meaning 'power'
  • prosit: Latin prōsit 'let it be helpful', third-person singular subjunctive of prōsum
  • memento: Latin mementō 'remember', imperative of meminī
  • non sequitur: Latin nōn sequitur 'it does not follow'; sequitur 'it follows' is the third-person singular of sequor
  • recipe: Latin recipe 'take', imperative of recipiō
  • scilicet: Latin scīlicet, short for scīre licet 'it may be known'; licet is an impersonal verb meaning it is permitted
  • stet: Latin stet 'let it stand', third-person singular subjunctive of stō
  • tenet: Latin tenet 'he holds', third-person singular of teneō
  • veto: Latin vetō 'I forbid', first-person singular
  • videlicet: Latin vidēlicet, short for vidēre licet 'it may be seen'; licet is an impersonal verb meaning it is permitted
  • video: Latin videō 'I see', 'first-person singular'

The English word gazebo is not derived from a real Latin verb, but is conjectured by some sources to have been created by adding a Latin first-person future-tense ending to the English word gaze.

See also

  • Latin conjugation
  • List of Latin phrases

References

Sadler, J.D. (1970) "Derivatives from by-forms". The Classical Journal 65.5 214–215.