LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
verbsecond conjugation, no passive, no supine stem

calleō

calleō (present infinitive callēre, perfect active calluī)
Classical[ˈkal.le.oː]Ecclesiastical[ˈkal.le.o]

Meaning

  1. intransitiveto be callous or thickskinned
  2. figurativelyintransitiveto be hardened or unfeeling
  3. intransitiveto be skillful or wise by experience (in), versed (in)
  4. transitiveto know (by experience), have knowledge of, understand

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

Conjugation conjugation 2 no-supine

active indicative
formpresentimperfectfutureperfectpluperfectfut. perfect
1st sg.calleōcallēbamcallēbōcalluīcallueramcalluerō
2nd sg.callēscallēbāscallēbiscalluistīcalluerāscallueris
3rd sg.calletcallēbatcallēbitcalluitcallueratcalluerit
1st pl.callēmuscallēbāmuscallēbimuscalluimuscalluerāmuscalluerimus
2nd pl.callētiscallēbātiscallēbitiscalluistiscalluerātiscallueritis
3rd pl.callentcallēbantcallēbuntcalluērunt
calluēre		calluerantcalluerint
active subjunctive
active subjunctive
formpresentimperfectperfectpluperfect
1st sg.calleamcallēremcalluerimcalluissem
2nd sg.calleāscallērēscalluerīscalluissēs
3rd sg.calleatcallēretcallueritcalluisset
1st pl.calleāmuscallērēmuscalluerīmuscalluissēmus
2nd pl.calleātiscallērētiscalluerītiscalluissētis
3rd pl.calleantcallērentcalluerintcalluissent
imperative
imperative
formactivepassive
pres. 2nd sg.callē—
pres. 2nd pl.callēte—
fut. 2nd sg.callētō—
fut. 3rd sg.callētō—
fut. 2nd pl.callētōte—
fut. 3rd pl.callentō—
infinitives & participles
infinitives & participles
formactivepassive
present infinitivecallēre—
perfect infinitivecalluisse—
present participlecallēns—
gerundcallendī, callendō, callendum

callĕo, ēre, v. n. and a.
I. [callum].
I. Neutr.
A. Lit., to be callous, to be thickskinned (rare): plagis costae callent, Plaut. Ps. 1, 2, 4; Caecil. ap. Non. p. 258, 10: callent rure manus, Auct. Aetn. 260; Plin. 11, 37, 84, § 211.—
B. Trop. *
1. To be hardened, insensible, unfeeling: in illis rebus exercitatus animus callere jam debet atque omnia minoris existimare, Serv. Sulp. ap. Cic. Fam. 4, 5, 2; cf. callisco.—
2. To be practised, to be wise by experience, to be skilful, versed in; in a pun on the literal sense A. supra: callum aprugnum callere aeque non sinam, Plaut. Poen. 3, 2, 2; cf. id. ib. v. 1; so id. Pers. 2, 5, 4: omnes homines ad suum quaestum callent, id. Truc. 5, 40 (cf. id. ib. 2, 4, 62: callidus ad quaestum); Amm. 15, 2, 4: melius quam viri callent mulieres, Att. ap. Non. p. 257, 31 (Trag. Rel. v. 28 Rib.): satin' astu et fallendo callet? id. ib. p. 258, 6 (Trag. Rel. v. 475 ib.): quod periti sumus in vitā atque usu callemus magis, id. ib. 258, 5: si in re navali, cujus esset ignarus, offendisset, eo plus in ea, quorum usu calleret, spei nactus, Liv. 35, 26, 10: cottidiano usu ejus (negotii) callebant, Val. Max. 8, 12, 1; Plin. 8, 25, 38, § 91; 9, 29, 46, § 86: augurandi studio Galli praeter caeteros callent, Just. 24, 4, 3: arte, Ser. ap. Non. p. 258, 2; Sol. 8: bellis callere, by military experience, Sil. 6, 90 sq.: fidibus, App. Flor. n. 18.—
II. Act., to know by experience or practice, to know, have the knowledge of, understand (freq., esp. in the poets; in Cic. very rare): memini et scio et calleo et commemini, Plaut. Pers. 2, 1, 8; cf. id. ib. 3, 1, 52; id. Poen. 3, 1, 71: cuncta perdocte callet, id. Most. 1, 3, 122: alicujus sensum, Ter. Ad. 4, 1, 17: istaec malitiosa non tam calleo, Afran. ap. Non. p. 482, 10 (Com. Rel. v. 124 Rib.): in colubras callet cantiunculam, Pompon. ib. 482, 9 (Com. Rel. v. 118 ib.): jura, Cic. Balb. 14, 32; Gell. 16, 10, 3: urbanas rusticasque res pariter, Liv. 39, 40, 4: artem, Tac. A. 13, 3: legitimum sonum digitis callemus et aure, Hor. A. P. 274 al. —
(b). With inf. as object: multaque de rerum mixturā dicere callent, * Lucr. 2, 978; Hor. C. 4, 9, 49; Juv. 4, 142; Pers. 5, 105.—
(g). With acc. and inf.: quem Marcellini consiliarium fuisse callebant, Sisenn. ap. Non. p. 258, 8.—
(d). With rel.-clause: quo pacto id fieri soleat, calleo, Ter. Heaut. 3, 2, 37.—Hence, callens, entis, P. a., acquainted with, versed in, skilful, expert (very rare): qui sunt vaticinandi callentes, Plin. 21, 31, 105, § 182: utriusque linguae, Gell. 17, 5, 3: bellandi, Amm. 16, 12, 32.—* Adv.: callenter, skilfully, cunningly; for the class. callide, App. M. 4, p. 150, 3.

Origins

From callum (“hardened skin; callousness”) + -eō, possibly via an older lost adjective *callus (“hard”). (to be skillfull; to know): Compare typologically firmō (< firmus), Russian тверди́ть (tverdítʹ), затверди́ть (zatverdítʹ), утверди́ться (utverdítʹsja), утверди́ть (utverdítʹ) (<~ твёрдый (tvjórdyj)).

Descendants
  • Italianincallire
  • Romanianîncăla

In English words that came into English from calleō

  • callisectioncallere
  • callidcallidus
  • calliditycalliditas

Quick answers

What does calleō mean in Latin?
calleō, a verb, means “to be callous or thickskinned; to be hardened or unfeeling; to be skillful or wise by experience (in), versed (in)”.
What are the principal parts of calleō?
calleō, callēre, calluī (second conjugation, no passive, no supine stem).
How do you pronounce calleō?
In classical Latin, [ˈkal.le.oː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈkal.le.o].
Which English words come from calleō?
English words that go back to Latin calleō include callisection, callid and callidity.