Latin

• (UK) enPR: lătʹĭn, IPA^(key): /ˈlæt.ɪn/
• (US) enPR: lătʹn, IPA^(key): /ˈlæt.n̩/, [ˈlæʔ.n̩]

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ætɪn

• Latten, Latine (obsolete)

From Middle English Latyn, Latyne, Latin, from Old English Latin and Old French latin, latyn, from Latin latīnus, from Latium (“the region around Rome”) + -īnus (adjective suffix).

Latin (not comparable)

1. Of or relating to the language spoken in ancient Rome and other cities of Latium which is rarely used.
   • 1948, L. E. Elliott-Binns, The Beginnings of Western Christendom, page 257

     Africa 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 Bošnjak, A Study of Slavic Incunabula, page 62

     The Serbo-Croatian incunabula printed in Latin letters are indubitably the products of a very modest establishment.

   Synonym: Roman

3. Of or relating to ancient Rome or its Empire.
   • 2000, T. M. Charles-Edwards, Early Christian Ireland, page 176

     The earliest Latin culture of Ireland was heavily indebted to that of Britain […]

   Synonym: Roman

4. Of or relating to Latium (modern Lazio), the region around Rome.
   • 1913, Oscar Browning, A General History of the World, page 151

     From 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.

   Synonym: Latian

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 11

     Therefore, 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 […]

   Synonym: Romance

6. Of or from Latin America or of Latin American culture.
   • 2008, Michael Miller, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music History, page 254

     As such, today's Latin music is a synthesis of European, African, and the few indigenous elements that remain.

   Synonyms: Latin American, Latino

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 117

     The Latin bishop now took the Greek bishop by the hand and conducted him to his throne […]

   Synonyms: Catholic, Roman, Roman Catholic

• For quotations of use of this term, see Citations:Latin.

From Middle English Latin, Latyn, from Old English latin ("Latin"; also found as Old English lǣden (“Latin”), from Vulgar Latin *ladinum (“Latin”)) and Old French latin (“Latin”); all from Latin Latinus (“belonging to Latium”). Later influenced in form by the Latin word. Compare Dutch Latijn (“Latin”), German Latein (“Latin”), Swedish Latin (“Latin”).

Latin (countable and uncountable, plural Latins)

1. (uncountable) 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 13

     When 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 134

     Like Copernicus and Galileo, Johannes Kepler was a renowned astronomer who wrote in Latin.

2. The Latin alphabet or writing system.
3. (countable) 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 23

     This appears incontestably from the manner in which the Latins wrote Greek words and names […]

   Synonym: Roman

4. (countable) A person from one of the modern European countries (including France, Spain etc.) whose language is descended from Latin.
   • 1933, Gilbert Keith Chesterton, 'All I Survey': a book of essays, page 148

     No; 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), page 760:

     Latins are always conspicuously dangerous when they are serving an unpopular cause for money.

5. (countable) A person from Latin America.
   • 1922, William Edmund Aughinbaugh, Advertising for trade in Latin-America, page 150

     In 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.

   Synonyms: Latin American, Latino

6. (Christianity) A person adhering to Roman Catholic practice.
   • 1853, William Palmer, Dissertations on Subjects Relating to the "Orthodox" or "Eastern-Catholic" Communion, page 118

     The modern Latins have been in the habit of blaming the Greek and other Eastern Liturgies for not consecrating by the recital of OUR SAVIOUR'S words of Institution […]

   Synonyms: Catholic, Roman, Roman Catholic

7. A person native to the ancient region of Latium.

• For quotations of use of this term, see Citations:Latin.

• (varieties of Latin) Latin; Classical Latin, Ecclesiastical Latin, Late Latin, Low Latin, Medieval Latin, New Latin, Old Latin, Recent Latin, Renaissance Latin, Vulgar Latin
  • Anglo-Latin, Biblical Latin, Church Latin, Early Latin, Middle Latin, Neo Latin/Neo-Latin

• (Christianity): Greek, Orthodox

• Wiktionary's coverage of Latin terms
• Latin index

• ISO 639-1 code la, ISO 639-3 code lat
• Ethnologue entry for Latin, la

• talin

• IPA^(key): /la.tɛ̃/

• Audio

  (file)

Latin m (plural Latins)

1. Latin (person from Latium)
2. a person from a Romance country such as Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Romania, etc, whose language is derived from Latin

• liant

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

• IPA^(key): [laten]
• Rhymes: -aten, -ten, -en

Latin

1. Latin (language of the ancient Romans)

   Synonym: Rumawi

• IPA^(key): /lɐˈtiːn/

Il-Latin m

1. the Latin language

From Old English latin and Old French latin.

Latin

1. Alternative form of Latyn

From Old English Latin and Old French latin.

Latin

1. Alternative form of Latyn

• IPA^(key): /lǎtiːn/
• Hyphenation: La‧tin

Làtīn m (Cyrillic spelling Ла̀тӣн)

1. Latin (person native to ancient Rome or its Empire, descended from the ancient Romans or speaking a Romance language)