-ātus¹

Meaning

1. morphemesuffix-ed. Used to form adjectives from nouns indicating the possession of a thing or feature.
   barba (“beard”) + -ātus → barbātus (“bearded, having a beard”)
   caetra (“a type of short Spanish shield”) + -ātus → caetrātus (“armed with a caetra”)
2. morphemesuffixUsed to form adjectives from other adjectives, especially color names, with the sense "wearing [adjective](-colored) clothes".
   albus (“white”) + -ātus → albātus (“clothed in white”)
   āter (“black”) + -ātus → atrātus (“clothed in black”)
3. morphemesuffix-like, -ate. Used to form adjectives from nouns indicating a resemblance or likeness to the noun.
   rēticulum (“small net”) + -ātus → rēticulātus (“reticulated, net-like”)
   vir (“man”) + -ātus → virātus (“manly, manful”)

Origins

From Proto-Italic *-ātos, from Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂tos. A "pseudo-participle" possibly related to -tus, though similar formations in other Indo-European languages show that it was distinct from it already in Indo-European times. Compare -ītus, -ūtus. Cognate to Proto-Slavic *-atъ, Proto-Germanic *-ōdaz (English -ed (“having”)).

Related words

Meaning

1. morphemeAdded to nouns or adjectives to form nouns denoting a rank or office, a group of officials associated with such a rank or office or a certain state.
   apostolus + -ātus → apostolātus (“apostolate”)
   triumvir + -ātus → triumvirātus (“triumvirate”)

Origins

Formed by rebracketing of action nouns in -tus, -tūs of first conjugation verbs such as mercātus (mercor + -tus), where -ā- is actually part of the stem; from Proto-Italic *-tus, from Proto-Indo-European *-tus (suffix deriving action nouns from verb roots).