• Latin

    Pronuctuation

    • UK enPR: lătʹĭn, IPA: /ˈlæt.ɪn/
    • US enPR: lătʹn, IPA: /ˈlæt.n/
    • Rhymes: -ætɪn

    Etymology

    From Latin latīnus, from Latium ("the region around Rome") + -īnus ("adjective suffix").

    Full definition of Latin

    Adjective

    Latin

    1. Of or relating to the language spoken in ancient Rome and other cities of Latium.
      • 1948, L. E. Elliott-Binns, The Beginnings of Western Christendom, page 257Africa was the natural leader because there the number of Christians who were of Roman origin and Latin speech was probably far greater than in so cosmopolitan a city as Rome.
    2. Of or relating to the script of the language spoken in ancient Rome and many modern alphabets.
      • 1968, Mladen BoÅ¡njak, A Study of Slavic Incunabula, page 62The Serbo-Croatian incunabula printed in Latin letters are indubitably the products of a very modest establishment.
    3. Of or relating to ancient Rome or its Empire.
      • 2000, T. M. Charles-Edwards, Early Christian Ireland, page 176The earliest Latin culture of Ireland was heavily indebted to that of Britain...
    4. Of or relating to Latium (modern Lazio), the region around Rome.
      • 1913, Oscar Browning, A General History of the World, page 151From the Campagna and the Latin hills, the flame of rebellion spread to Antium and Terracina, and to the most remote allies of the Romans, the cities of the Campanian plains.
    5. Of or relating to the customs and people descended from the ancient Romans and their Empire.
      • 2002, Dean Foster, The Global Etiquette Guide to Mexico and Latin America, page 11Therefore, although Portugal is a Latin culture, the significant African influence in Brazil creates a culture that cannot be defined simply as Latin; consequently, Brazilians prefer to define themselves as South American...
    6. Of or from Latin America or of Latin American culture.
      • 2008, Michael Miller, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music History, page 254As such, today's Latin music is a synthesis of European, African, and the few indigenous elements that remain.
    7. (Christianity) Roman Catholic; of or pertaining to the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church.
      • 1901, John Hackett, A History of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus, page 117The Latin bishop now took the Greek bishop by the hand and conducted him to his throne...

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    Proper noun

    Latin

    (plural Latins)
    1. The language of the ancient Romans, other Latins and of the Roman Catholic church, especially Classical Latin.
      • 2003, Natalie Harwood, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Learning Latin, 2nd edition, page 13When the Christian Church rose in stature in the Dark Ages, its adoption of Latin as the official language assured its eternal life.
      • 2010, Elizabeth Heimbach, A Roman Map Workbook, page 134Like Copernicus and Galileo, Johannes Kepler was a renowned astronomer who wrote in Latin.

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    Noun

    Latin

    (plural Latins)
    1. A person native to ancient Rome or its Empire.
      • 1833, Philipp Buttmann (translated by Edward Robinson), A Greek grammar for the use of high schools and universities, page 23This appears incontestably from the manner in which the Latins wrote Greek words and names...
    2. A person from one of the modern European countries (including France, Spain etc.) whose language is descended from Latin.
      • 1933, G. K. Chesterton, 'All I Survey': a book of essays, page 148No ; the test of the contrast between modern Latins and modern Teutons is exactly like the test of the contrast between modern Latins and ancient Latins.
      • 1982, Lawrence Durrell, Constance, Faber & Faber 2004 (Avignon Quintet), p. 760:Latins are always conspicuously dangerous when they are serving an unpopular cause for money.
    3. A person from Latin America.
      • 1922, William Edmund Aughinbaugh, Advertising for trade in Latin-America, page 150In the use of patent medicine the average Latin resembles the American of fifty years ago, who generally had a bottle of some concoction on which he depended whenever he felt out of sorts.
    4. (Christianity) A person adhering to Roman Catholic practice.
      • 1853, William Palmer, Dissertations on Subjects Relating to the "Orthodox" or "Eastern-Catholic" Communion, page 118The modern Latins have been in the habit of blaming the Greek and other Eastern Liturgies for not consecrating by the recital of OUR S
    AVIOUR'S words of Institution...
    1. A person native to the ancient region of Latium.

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