LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
proper noun · masculinethird declension

Catō

Catō m sg (genitive Catōnis)
Classical[ˈka.toː]Ecclesiastical[ˈkaː.to]

Meaning

  1. A cognomen, particularly a branch of the gens Porcia.

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeCatō—
genitiveCatōnis—
dativeCatōnī—
accusativeCatōnem—
ablativeCatōne—
vocativeCatō—

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

Cato Uticensis ortus erat a Catone Censorio
Cato of Utica was a direct descendant of Cato the Censor.
orationes Catonis antiquitatem redolent (Brut. 21. 82)
Cato's speeches sound archaic.

Căto, ōnis, m. 1. catus,
I. a cognomen of several celebrated Romans in the gens Porcia, Valeria, Vettia al.
I. M. Porcius Cato the elder, distinguished as a rigid judge of morals; hence with the appel. Censorius; whose most celebrated works were the Origines and De Re Rustica, Cic. de Or. 3, 33, 135; Liv. 31, 1 sqq.; Plin. 7, 27, 28, § 100; 7, 30, 31, § 112; cf., concerning him, Bernhardy, Röm. Litt. p. 521 sq.; 650; Bähr, Lit. Gesch. p. 515; 258; 354 al.; Ellendt, Cic. Brut. p. xix.-xxv.—As appel. of a severe judge, Mart. 1, prooem. fin.; Phaedr. 4, 7, 21.—Hence,
B. Cătōnĭānus, a, um, adj., of Cato: familia, Cic. Q. Fr. 4, 6, 5: aetas, Sen. Tranq. 7, 5: illa (i. e. praecepta), id. Ep. 94, 27: lingua, i. e. of high morality, Mart. 9, 27, 14.—
II. His descendant, M. Porcius Cato the younger, the enemy of Cœsar, who committed suicide after the battle of Pharsalia, at Utica; hence with the appel. Uticensis.—
B. Cătōnīni, ōrum, m., the adherents or friends of Cato, Cic. Fam. 7, 25, 1; cf. catonium.—Concerning both, and the Porcian family in gen., v. Gell. 13, 20 Hertz, p. 19 Bip.—On account of their serious and austere character, serious, or gloomy, morose men are called Catones, Sen. Ep. 120, 19; cf. Juv. 2, 40; Phaedr. 4, 7, 21; Petr. 132.—
III. Valerius Cato, a celebrated grammarian of Gaul, and poet of the time of Sulla, Cat. 56; Ov. Tr. 2, 436; Suet. Gram. 2; 4; 11.—
IV. Dionysius Cato, author of the Disticha de moribus, prob. about the time of Constantine; v. the Disticha, with the Sententiae of Syrus, at the end of the Fabulae of Phaedrus, Bip.

Origins

According to De Vaan, from Proto-Italic *katō, related to catus (“intelligent”) with individualizing suffix -ō (< PIE *-e/on-, the "Στράβων" suffix).

Descendants
  • CatalanCató
  • EnglishCato
  • SpanishCatón
  • FrenchCaton
  • ItalianCatone
  • AfrikaansKato
  • Ancient GreekΚάτων
  • NorwegianCato
  • SicilianCatuni

Quick answers

What does Catō mean in Latin?
Catō, a proper noun, means “A cognomen, particularly a branch of the gens Porcia.”.
What is the genitive of Catō?
The genitive singular is Catōnis. Catō is masculine, third declension.
How do you pronounce Catō?
In classical Latin, [ˈka.toː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈkaː.to].