LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
verbthird conjugation

atterō

atterō (present infinitive atterere, perfect active attrīvī, supine attrītum)
Classical[ˈat.tɛ.roː]Ecclesiastical[ˈat.te.ro]

Meaning

  1. to wear away, rub away
  2. to grind
  3. to chafe
  4. to weaken or impair; to attrit

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

paulātim cōnsūmō
atterō -ere — in Epistulae, ch. 6

Conjugation conjugation 3

active indicative
formpresentimperfectfutureperfectpluperfectfut. perfect
1st sg.atterōatterēbamatteramattrīvīattrīveramattrīverō
2nd sg.atterisatterēbāsatterēsattrīvistīattrīverāsattrīveris
3rd sg.atteritatterēbatatteretattrīvitattrīveratattrīverit
1st pl.atterimusatterēbāmusatterēmusattrīvimusattrīverāmusattrīverimus
2nd pl.atteritisatterēbātisatterētisattrīvistisattrīverātisattrīveritis
3rd pl.atteruntatterēbantatterentattrīvērunt
attrīvēre		attrīverantattrīverint
active subjunctive
active subjunctive
formpresentimperfectperfectpluperfect
1st sg.atteramattereremattrīverimattrīvissem
2nd sg.atterāsattererēsattrīverīsattrīvissēs
3rd sg.atteratattereretattrīveritattrīvisset
1st pl.atterāmusattererēmusattrīverīmusattrīvissēmus
2nd pl.atterātisattererētisattrīverītisattrīvissētis
3rd pl.atterantattererentattrīverintattrīvissent
passive indicative
passive indicative
formpresentimperfectfuture
1st sg.atteroratterēbaratterar
2nd sg.attereris
atterere		atterēbāris
atterēbāre		atterēris
atterēre
3rd sg.atterituratterēbāturatterētur
1st pl.atterimuratterēbāmuratterēmur
2nd pl.atteriminīatterēbāminīatterēminī
3rd pl.atterunturatterēbanturatterentur
passive subjunctive
passive subjunctive
formpresentimperfect
1st sg.atterarattererer
2nd sg.atterāris
atterāre		attererēris
attererēre
3rd sg.atterāturattererētur
1st pl.atterāmurattererēmur
2nd pl.atterāminīattererēminī
3rd pl.atteranturattererentur
imperative
imperative
formactivepassive
pres. 2nd sg.attereatterere
pres. 2nd pl.atteriteatteriminī
fut. 2nd sg.atteritōatteritor
fut. 3rd sg.atteritōatteritor
fut. 2nd pl.atteritōte—
fut. 3rd pl.atteruntōatteruntor
infinitives & participles
infinitives & participles
formactivepassive
present infinitiveatterereatterī
perfect infinitiveattrīvisseattrītum esse
future infinitiveattrītūrum esseattrītum īrī
present participleatterēns—
perfect participle—attrītus
attrīta, attrītā, attrītae, attrītam, attrītārum, attrītās, attrīte, attrītī, attrītīs, attrītō, attrītōrum, attrītōs
future participleattrītūrus
attrītūra, attrītūrā, attrītūrae, attrītūram, attrītūrārum, attrītūrās, attrītūre, attrītūrī, attrītūrīs, attrītūrō, attrītūrōrum, attrītūrōs, attrītūrum		atterendus
atterundus, atterenda, atterendā, atterendae, atterendam, atterendārum, atterendās, atterende, atterendīs, atterendōrum, atterendōs
gerundatterendī, atterendō, atterendumsupineattrītum, attrītū

at-tĕro (adt-, Dietsch), trīvi, trītum, 3, v. a. (
I. perf. inf. atteruisse, Tib. 1, 4, 48; cf. Vell. Long. p. 2234 P.), to rub one thing against another; hence, in gen., to rub away, wear out or diminish by rubbing, to waste, wear away, weaken, impair, exhaust.
I. Lit. (most freq. after the Aug. per.; in Cic. only once as P. a.; v. infra): insons Cerberus leniter atterens caudam, rubbing against or upon (sc. Herculi), * Hor. C. 2, 19, 30: asinus spinetis se scabendi causā atterens, Plin. 10, 74, 95, § 204: aures, * Plaut. Pers. 4, 9, 11 (cf. antestor): bucula surgentes atterat herbas, tramples upon, Verg. G. 4, 12: opere insuetas atteruisse manus, Tib. 1, 4, 48; so Prop. 5, 3, 24, and Plin. 2, 63, 63, § 158; so, dentes usu atteruntur, id. 7, 16, 15, § 70: attrivit sedentis pedem, Vulg. Num. 22, 25: vestem, Dig. 23, 3, 10; Col. 11, 2, 16; Cels. praef.: vestimenta, Vulg. Deut. 29, 5; ib. Isa. 51, 6.—Poet., of sand worn by the water flowing over it: attritas versabat rivus harenas, Ov. M. 2, 456.—
II. Trop., to destroy, waste, weaken, impair: postquam utrimque legiones item classes saepe fusae fugataeque et alteri alteros aliquantum adtriverant, Sall. J. 79, 4: magna pars (exercitūs) temeritate ducum adtrita est, id. ib. 85, 46: Italiae opes bello, id. ib. 5, 4; so Tac. H. 1, 10; 1, 89; 2, 56; Curt. 4, 6 fin.; cf. Sil. 2, 392 Drak.: nec publicanus atterit (Germanos), exhausts, drains, Tac. G. 29: famam atque pudorem, Sall. C. 16, 2: et vincere inglorium et atteri sordidum arbitrabatur, and to suffer injury in his dignity, Tac. Agr. 9 Rupert.: eo tempore, quo praecipue alenda ingenia atque indulgentiā quādam enutrienda sunt, asperiorum tractatu rerum atteruntur, are enfeebled, Quint. 8, prooem. 4: filii ejus atterentur egestate, Vulg. Job, 20, 10: Nec res atteritur longo sufflamine litis, Juv. 16, 50.— Hence, attrītus, a, um, P. a., rubbed off, worn off or away, wasted.
A. Lit.
1. In gen.: ut rictum ejus (simulacri) ac mentum paulo sit attritius, * Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 43: ansa, Verg. E. 6, 17: vomer, worn bright, id. G. 1, 46; cf. Juv. 8, 16 Rupert.: caelaturae, Plin. 33, 12, 55, § 157; Petr. 109, 9.—
2. In medicine, attritae partes or subst. attrita, ōrum, n. (sc. membra), bruised, excoriated parts of the body: medetur et attritis partibus sive oleo etc., Plin. 24, 7, 28, § 43: attritis medetur cinis muris silvatici etc., id. 30, 8, 22, § 70.—
B. Trop.: attrita frons, a shameless, impudent face (lit. a smooth face, to which shame no longer clings; cf. perfrico), Juv. 13, 242 Rupert.; so, domus Israël attritā fronte, Vulg. Ezech. 3, 7.—Sup. and adv. not used.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂éd
  2. Proto-Italic*ad
  3. Proto-Italic*ad-
  4. Latinatterō

Proto-Indo-European *terh₁- Latin terō Latin atterō From ad- + terō.

Quick answers

What does atterō mean in Latin?
atterō, a verb, means “to wear away, rub away; to grind; to chafe”.
What are the principal parts of atterō?
atterō, atterere, attrīvī, attrītum (third conjugation).
How do you pronounce atterō?
In classical Latin, [ˈat.tɛ.roː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈat.te.ro].
Where does atterō come from?
Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd → Proto-Italic *ad → Proto-Italic *ad- → Latin atterō.