LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · neuterthird declension

certāmen

certāmen n (genitive certāminis)
Classical[kɛrˈtaː.mɛn]Ecclesiastical[t͡ʃerˈtaː.men]
Mille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. A contest, race, struggle, strife.
  2. A battle, engagement, combat.
    certa bonum certamenfight the good fightLate 4th century, Jerome [et al.], transl., edited by Roger Gryson, Biblia Sacra: Iuxta Vulgatam Versionem (Vulgate), 5th edition, Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, published 2007, →ISBN, I Timotheum 6:12, page 1836:
  3. An object contended for, prize.

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

in quō duo plūrēsve dē victōriā pugnant.
certāmen -inis n — in Mille Verba, ch. Lūdī et Ōtium
contentiō dē victōriā
certāmen -inis (n) — in Aeneis, ch. 13

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativecertāmencertāmina
genitivecertāminiscertāminum
dativecertāminīcertāminibus
accusativecertāmencertāmina
ablativecertāminecertāminibus
vocativecertāmencertāmina

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

certamen partium
party-strife.
certamina gymnica
gymnastic contests.
certamen singulare
single combat.
in certamen descendere
to engage in the fight.
povocare aliquem ad certamen singulare
to challenge some one to single combat.

certāmen, ĭnis, n. id.,
I. a contest, struggle, strife, whether friendly or hostile, physical or intellectual; most freq. of a pugilistic contest of any kind; but also of contention in war.
I. A contest, struggle in games or otherwise.
A. Lit.: videmusne apud quos eorum ludorum, qui gymnici nominantur, magnus honos sit, nullum ab iis, qui in id certamen descendant, devitari dolorem? Cic. Tusc. 2, 26, 62; cf. id. de Or. 2, 78, 317: Hac celebrata tenus sancto certamina patri, Verg. A. 5, 603; cf. Ov. M. 1, 446: luctandi, Quint. 12, 2, 12: saliendi, id. 10, 3, 6: citharoedorum, id. 4, 1, 2: sacra, id. 2, 8, 7 Spald.: quinquennale triplex, musicum, gymnicum, equestre, Suet. Ner. 12; cf. id. Vit. 4; id. Dom. 4: bijugum, Verg. A. 5, 144: quadrigarum, Suet. Claud. 21: pedum, Ov. M. 12, 304: cursus, id. ib. 7, 792; 10, 560: disci, id. ib. 10, 177: Veneris, id. Am. 2, 10, 29 et saep.—
2. Meton., poet., the object contended for, the prize, Ov. M. 13, 129: pecoris magistris Velocis jaculi certamina ponit in ulmo, Verg. G. 2, 530 Heyne.—
B. Trop., a rivalry, contest, struggle, emulation, etc.: certamen honestum (Stoicorum et Peripateticorum), Cic. Fin. 2, 21, 68: est mihi tecum pro aris et focis certamen, id. N. D. 3, 40, 94: est alicui certamen cum aliquo de principatu, Nep. Them. 6, 3: certamen honoris et gloriae. Cic. Lael. 10, 34; cf. id. Off. 1, 12, 38; Sall. J. 41, 2; Quint. 10, 5, 5: bona ratio cum perditā confligit. In ejus modi certamine ac proelio, Cic. Cat. 2, 11, 25: pugna forensium certaminum, id. 5, 12, 22: eloquentiae inter juvenes, Quint. 2, 17, 8: verborum linguaeque, Liv. 10, 22, 6: laboris ac periculi, id. 28, 19, 14: amicitiae, benevolentiae, id. 37, 53, 7: bonae artis ac virtutis, id. 37, 54, 19: irarum, id. 1, 7, 2; cf. id. 3, 39, 3: conferendi (pecuniam), id. 4, 60, 8: patrum animos certamen regni ac cupido versabat, id. 1, 17, 1; cf. id. 21, 31, 6: leti (inter mulieres Indas), Prop. 3 (4), 13, 19. diu magnum inter mortales certamen fuit, vine corporis an virtute animi, etc., Sall. C. 1, 5; cf. Tib. 4, 1, 37.—Rarely with gen. of adversary: si in virtutis certamen venerint ( = cum virtute), Cic. Fin. 5, 24, 71 Madv. ad loc.—Poet.: mite vini, a drinking bout, Tib. 3, 6, 11.—Also poet.: certamina ponere, syn. with certamina instituere = ἀγῶνα προτιθέναι, to order, arrange a fight or contest, Verg. A. 5, 66; 8, 639; cf. id. G. 2, 530 Wagn.—Of inanimate things: Arboribusque datumst variis exinde per auras Crescendi magnum inmissis certamen habenis, Lucr. 5, 787.—
II. Esp., a military strife, battle, engagement, contest, fight, combat.
A. Subject. (diff. from the objective; cf.: proeliam, pugna, bellum, etc.): horrida Romuleum certamina pango duellum, Enn. Ann. 1, 1; 1, 476; 2, 6; 5, 1295; Planc. ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 18, 2; Lucr. 4, 844; Ov. M. 12, 180; Liv. 36, 19, 13: aeterno certamine proelia pugnasque edere, Lucr. 2, 117: fit proelium acri certamine, Hirt. B. G. 8, 28; cf.: proelii certamen, id. B. Alex. 16: certamine, with zeal, emulously, earnestly, Verg. A. 5, 197; Curt. 9, 4; Sil. 10, 536; cf.: nec magni certaminis ea dimicatio fuit, not severe, Liv. 21, 60, 7. —
B. Object., = proelium, pugna, etc.: vario certamine pugnatum est, Caes. B. C. 1, 46: erat in celeritate omne positum certamen, utri, etc., id. ib. 1, 70: bella atque certamina, Sall. C. 33, 5: ubi res ad certamen venit, id. J. 13, 4: in certamine ipso, Liv. 2, 44, 11: navalia, a naval engagement, sea-fight, id. 31, 14, 4: classicum, Vell. 2, 85, 2: saevit medio in certamine Mavors, Verg. A. 8, 700 et saep.—Hence.
C. In the postAug. histt. for war in gen., Flor. 1, 20; Eutr. 1, 16; Just. 7, 2, 6; 7, 6, 6.

Origins

Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥ Proto-Italic *-mn̥ Latin -men Latin certāmen From certō (“struggle, contend”) + -men (noun-forming suffix).

Descendants
  • Catalancertamen
  • Englishcertamen
  • Italiancertame
  • Portuguesecertame
  • Spanishcertamen

Quick answers

What does certāmen mean in Latin?
certāmen, a noun, means “A contest, race, struggle, strife.; A battle, engagement, combat.; An object contended for, prize.”.
What is the genitive of certāmen?
The genitive singular is certāminis. certāmen is neuter, third declension.
How do you pronounce certāmen?
In classical Latin, [kɛrˈtaː.mɛn]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [t͡ʃerˈtaː.men].