LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
verbthird conjugation

abnuō

abnuō (present infinitive abnuere, perfect active abnuī, supine abnuitum)
Classical[ˈab.nu.oː]Ecclesiastical[ˈab.nu.o]

Meaning

  1. literallyrareto say no, to nod in negation
    Quid nunc? Datūrīn estis an nōn? Annuont. […] Quid sī dē vostrō quippiam ōrem? Abnuont. Well then? Are you going to give it or not? They nod in approval. […]What if I asked for something of yours? They nod in disapproval.c. 189 BCE, Plautus, Truculentus prol.4–6
    Utque fit, in sē aliquid fingī, dīcentibus illīsEither way, they think I'm inventing something about them, whenever they speak and I nod in negation and affirmation.8 CE – 12 CE, Ovidius, Tristia 5.10.41–42
  2. to refuse, reject
    […]rēgī pācem quam postulābat neque abnuere neque pollicērī[…][…] he neither refused nor promised the king the peace he was asking for […]c. 40 BCE, Gaius Sallustius Crispus, Bellum Jugurthinum 47
    Dē societāte haud abnuunt barbarī: dē mercēde agitur.The barbarians refuse not an alliance: it's all about remuneration.27 BCE – 25 BCE, Titus Livius, Ab urbe condita 10.10.8
  3. obsoletepoeticto not admit of
  4. rareto decline service
    Ille fessōs abnuentēsque taediō et labōre nunc precandō, nunc castigandō accendit.It was he who, now by entreaties, now by chastising, stimulated the soldiers, tired and declining service due to weariness and difficulty.27 BCE – 25 BCE, Titus Livius, Ab urbe condita 27.49.3
  5. to deny
    At quod scinditur et partīs discēdit in ūllās,But if something breaks and separates into any parts, it surely denies having an eternal nature.c. 99 BCE – 55 BCE, Lucretius, De rerum natura 3.640–641
    Quī crēdat ista, et Melampodī profectō augurī aurēs lambendō dedisse intellēctum avium sermōnis dracōnes nōn abnuat.Anyone who would believe these would also surely not deny that serpents gave Melampus the augur the understanding of bird language by means of licking his ears.77 CE – 79 CE, Plinius Maior, Naturalis Historia 10.70.137

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Negare · Infitiari · Infitias ire · Denegare · Pernegare · Recusare · Abnuere · Renuere · Repudiare

1. Negare means to deny, from objective motives, when a man has, or professes to have, the truth in view, like ἀποφάναι, οὐ φάναι; whereas infiteri, infitiari, and infitias ire, mean to disown from subjective motives, when personal interest is in some way implicated, like ἀρνεῖσθαι. 2. Infiteri is an obsolete expression; infitiari (ἀνα-φατίζειν,) the usual and general expression; infitias (ἀμφασίας) ire is only connected with a negation, and answers to the phrase, not to assent to. 3. Negatio is a denial, merely conveying information to the hearer; pernegatio, or negitatio, to convince him, when he is incredulous; denegatio, to get rid of his importunity, when his request is useless. Martial, Ep. iv. 82. Negare jussi, pernegare non jussi. Cic. Phil. xi. 8, 19. In quo maximum nobis onus imposuit, assensero; ambitionem induxero in curiam; negaro; videbor suffragio meo tanquam comitiis honorem amicissimo denegasse. 4. Negare supposes a question only, whether actual or possible, which is denied; whereas recusare, a request which is refused; hence negare is a more general and mild expression than recusare; for the negans merely denies the possibility of granting what he is asked or requested; whereas the recusans also calls in question the justice of the request, which he protests against as a threat, or as an encroachment. Hence negare, denegare, are more used in private transactions; recusare, in public affairs. 5. Negare and recusare take place by means of words and speeches; abnuere and renuere, mostly by signs and gestures; abnuere, by waving a person from one with the hand, like ἀπονεύω; renuere, by drawing back the head, like ἀνανεύω. 6. Abnuere is a more friendly, renuere a haughtier manner of denying. 7. Recusare refers to an object which is considered as a burden, and claims resignation, in opp. to suscipere, Suet. Ner. 3; whereas repudiare (from repedare?) refers to an object which is considered as a good, and promises profit or pleasure, in opp. to assumere. Cic. Orat. 62. Cic. Fin. i. 10, 33. Sæpe eveniet ut et voluptates repudiandæ sint, et molestia non recusanda. (iv. 40.)

Conjugation conjugation 3

active indicative
formpresentimperfectfutureperfectpluperfectfut. perfect
1st sg.abnuōabnuēbamabnuamabnuīabnueramabnuerō
2nd sg.abnuisabnuēbāsabnuēsabnuistīabnuerāsabnueris
3rd sg.abnuitabnuēbatabnuetabnuitabnueratabnuerit
1st pl.abnuimusabnuēbāmusabnuēmusabnuimusabnuerāmusabnuerimus
2nd pl.abnuitisabnuēbātisabnuētisabnuistisabnuerātisabnueritis
3rd pl.abnuuntabnuēbantabnuentabnuērunt
abnuēre		abnuerantabnuerint
active subjunctive
active subjunctive
formpresentimperfectperfectpluperfect
1st sg.abnuamabnueremabnuerimabnuissem
2nd sg.abnuāsabnuerēsabnuerīsabnuissēs
3rd sg.abnuatabnueretabnueritabnuisset
1st pl.abnuāmusabnuerēmusabnuerīmusabnuissēmus
2nd pl.abnuātisabnuerētisabnuerītisabnuissētis
3rd pl.abnuantabnuerentabnuerintabnuissent
passive indicative
passive indicative
formpresentimperfectfuture
1st sg.abnuorabnuēbarabnuar
2nd sg.abnueris
abnuere		abnuēbāris
abnuēbāre		abnuēris
abnuēre
3rd sg.abnuiturabnuēbāturabnuētur
1st pl.abnuimurabnuēbāmurabnuēmur
2nd pl.abnuiminīabnuēbāminīabnuēminī
3rd pl.abnuunturabnuēbanturabnuentur
passive subjunctive
passive subjunctive
formpresentimperfect
1st sg.abnuarabnuerer
2nd sg.abnuāris
abnuāre		abnuerēris
abnuerēre
3rd sg.abnuāturabnuerētur
1st pl.abnuāmurabnuerēmur
2nd pl.abnuāminīabnuerēminī
3rd pl.abnuanturabnuerentur
imperative
imperative
formactivepassive
pres. 2nd sg.abnueabnuere
pres. 2nd pl.abnuiteabnuiminī
fut. 2nd sg.abnuitōabnuitor
fut. 3rd sg.abnuitōabnuitor
fut. 2nd pl.abnuitōte—
fut. 3rd pl.abnuuntōabnuuntor
infinitives & participles
infinitives & participles
formactivepassive
present infinitiveabnuereabnuī
perfect infinitiveabnuisseabnuitum esse
future infinitiveabnuitūrum esseabnuitum īrī
present participleabnuēns—
perfect participle—abnuitus
abnuita, abnuitā, abnuitae, abnuitam, abnuitārum, abnuitās, abnuitī, abnuitōrum, abnuitōs
future participleabnuitūrus
abnuitūra, abnuitūrā, abnuitūrae, abnuitūram, abnuitūrārum, abnuitūrās, abnuitūre, abnuitūrī, abnuitūrīs, abnuitūrō, abnuitūrōrum, abnuitūrōs, abnuitūrum		abnuendus
abnuenda, abnuendā, abnuendae, abnuendam, abnuendārum, abnuendās, abnuende, abnuendīs, abnuendōrum, abnuendōs
gerundabnuendī, abnuendō, abnuendumsupineabnuitum, abnuitū

ab-nŭo, ŭi, ŭĭtum (hence abnŭĭturus, Sall. Fragm. 1, 37 Kritz), or ūtum, 3, v. a. and n. (abnueo, Enn. ap. Diom. p. 378 P. or Ann. v. 283 Vahl.:
I. abnuebunt, id. ib. or Trag. v. 371 id.), lit., to refuse by a nod (cf. Nigid. ap. Gell. 10, 4 fin.); hence, to deny, refuse, to decline doing a thing, to reject.
I. Lit.
A. In gen. (syn. recuso; opp. concedo), constr. absol., with the acc., the inf., quin, or de.
(a). Absol.: non recuso, non abnuo, Cic. Mil. 36, 100; so Plaut. Capt. 3, 1, 21; id. Truc. prol. 6; Hor. S. 2, 5, 52; Tac. A. 11, 12; id. Agr. 4 al.—
(b). With acc. (in Cic. only with general objects, as quid, nihil): cum intellegas, quid quisque concedat, quid abnuat, Cic. Fin. 2, 1, 3: nihil umquam abnuit meo studio voluntas tua, refused, id. Fat. 2, 3; so, aliquid alicui: regi pacem neque abnuere neque pollicere, Sall. J. 47 fin.: alia (opp. probo), id. ib. 83 fin.: abnuere cognomen Bruti, Liv. 1, 56, 8: imperium, id. 3, 66, 3; cf.: imperium auspiciumque, to reject, id. 28, 27, 4: regulae rationem, Quint. 1, 6, 33: omen, Verg. A. 5, 531: aliquem comitem inceptis, Sil. 3, 110. —
(g). With inf.: certare abnueo, Enn. l. l.: nec abnuebant melioribus parere, Liv. 22, 13 fin.; so id. 22, 37, 4.—With acc. and inf.: aeternam sibi naturam abnuit esse, Lucr. 3, 641; cf.: abnueret a se commissum esse facinus, Cic. Leg. 1, 14, 40; and: haud equidem abnuo egregium ducem fuisse Alexandrum, Liv. 9, 17, 5; so id. 5, 33, 4; 30, 20, 6; Quint. 5, 8, 3; 6, 2, 11 (opp. concedo); Verg. A. 10, 8 al.; cf. also: manu abnuit quidquam opis in se esse, Liv. 36, 34, 6.—Impers.: nec abnuitur ita fuisse, Liv. 3, 72, 6. —*
(d). With quin: non abnuere se quin cuncta mala patefierent, Tac. A. 13, 14.— * (ε) With de: neque illi senatus de ullo negotio abnuere audebat, Sall. J. 84, 3.
B. Esp., abnuens, like the Gr. ἀπειπών, declining service, giving up (very rare): milites fessos itineris magnitudine et jam abnuentes omnia, Sall. J. 68, 3; cf.: fessos abnuentesque taedio et labore, declining the combat, Liv. 27, 49, 3.
II. Transf., of abstract subjects, not to admit of, to be unfavorable (poet. and in post-Aug. prose): quod spes abnuit, Tib. 4, 1, 25: quando impetus et subita belli locus abnueret, Tac. H. 5, 13: hoc videretur, nisi abnueret duritia, Plin. 37, 10, 54, § 145.

Origins

From ab- (“from, away from”) + *nuō (“nod”), literally “to reject by a nod”.

Descendants
  • Portugueseabnuir
  • Spanishabnuir

Quick answers

What does abnuō mean in Latin?
abnuō, a verb, means “to say no, to nod in negation; to refuse, reject; to deny”.
What are the principal parts of abnuō?
abnuō, abnuere, abnuī, abnuitum (third conjugation).
How do you pronounce abnuō?
In classical Latin, [ˈab.nu.oː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈab.nu.o].