noun · femininethird declension
cīvitās1
cīvitās f (genitive cīvitātis)
Classical[ˈkiː.wɪ.taːs]Ecclesiastical[ˈt͡ʃiː.vi.tas]
№ 346 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary
Meaning
- Classical Latincitizenship and its rights; often referring to Roman citizenship.
- Classical Latinthe state, body politic, citizens of a territory (collectively).
- Classical Latinmetonymicallya city and all external territory (thus distinguished from urbs).
- Classical Latinmetonymicallycity-states, kingdoms, or tribes, especially under Roman rule.
- Medieval Latina city: a major, biblical, or specially incorporated town, particularly cathedral cities.
His diebus Langobardi Italia invaserunt, Vincentiam Veronamque et reliquas Venetiarum civitates coepit, et per tres annos Ticino possedit.
In those days that the Lombards invaded Italy, he began Vincentia & Verona and the rest of the Venetian cities, and possessed Ticino for three years. - Medieval Latina borough: a walled settlement, sometimes particularly former Roman towns.
- EcclesiasticalLatineither the Church or Heaven.
- New LatinState, country.
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
omnēs cīvēs ūnīus urbis; urbs ipsa.cīvitās -ātis f — in Mille Verba, Urbs et Aedificia
urbs, oppidumcīvitās -ātis (f) — in Evangelium secundum Matthaeum, ch. 7
urbs, populus urbiscīvitās -ātis (f) — in Evangelium secundum Marcum, ch. 2
Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms
Gens · Natio · Populus · Civitas
1. Gens and natio denote a people, in a physical sense, in the description of nations, as a society originating in common descent and relationship, without any apparent reference to civilization; whereas populus and civitas denote a people in a political sense, as a society formed by civilization and compact. Sall. Cat. 10, 1. Nationes feræ et populi ingentes subacti. Cic. Rep. i. 25. 2. Gens (γενετή) includes all people of the same descent, like φῦλον; natio (from γνήσιος) a single colony of the same, like ἔθνος. Vell. P. ii. 98. Omnibus ejus gentis nationibus in arma accensis. Tac. G. 2, 38. But as gens, in this physical sense, as the complex term for several colonies, has a more comprehensive meaning than natio, so has it, at the same time, in its political accessory meaning, as a clan, γένος, or as the complex term for several families, a narrower meaning than populus; hence sometimes populus forms, as a civilized natio, a part of the natural gens. Liv. iv. 49. Bolanis suæ gentis populo, and Virg. A. x. 202; sometimes gens, as a political society, forms a part of populus: Justin. vii. 1. Adunatis gentibus variorum populorum. 3. Civitas (from κείω) denotes the citizens of a town collectively, πόλις, merely with regard to their interior connection, as including the inhabitants who are in the enjoyment of the full rights of citizenship, and the lawful possessors of the land; populus (redupl. of πόλις) means the people, δῆμος, more commonly in reference to their social relations, interior and exterior, and with the included notion of belonging to the state. A people can determine upon war as a civitas; but can carry it on only as a populus. A civitas is necessarily stationary; but a populus may consist of Nomades, or wanderers from one pasture to another.
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | cīvitās | cīvitātēs |
| genitive | cīvitātis | cīvitātum cīvitātium |
| dative | cīvitātī | cīvitātibus |
| accusative | cīvitātem | cīvitātēs cīvitātīs |
| ablative | cīvitāte | cīvitātibus |
| vocative | cīvitās | cīvitātēs |
Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book
- descriptio civitatis
- the constitution.
- principem civitatis esse
- to be the chief man in the state.
- imperare milites civitatibus
- to compel communities to provide troops.
- obsides civitatibus imperare
- to compel communities to provide hostages.
- pecuniam cogere a civitatibus
- to extort money from the communities.
- de, e civitate aliquem eicere
- to banish a person, send him into exile.
- faex populi, plebis, civitatis
- the dregs of the people.
- illa civitas, quam Plato finxit
- Plato's ideal republic.
14 more phrases
- civitatem mutare (Balb. 11. 27)
- to naturalise oneself as a citizen of another country.
- civitas optima, perfecta Platonis
- Plato's ideal republic.
- illa civitas Platonis commenticia
- Plato's ideal republic.
- rector civitatis (De Or. 1. 48. 211)
- the head of the state.
- civitate donare aliquem (Balb. 3. 7)
- to make a man a citizen.
- civitati leges, iudicia, iura describere
- to give the state a constitution.
- civitas, quae optimatium arbitrio regitur
- aristocracy (as a form of government).
- civitatem alicui dare, tribuere, impertire
- to present a person with the freedom of the city.
- ex urbe (civitate) expellere, pellere aliquem
- to banish a person, send him into exile.
- civitatem servitute oppressam tenere (Dom. 51. 131)
- to keep the citizens in servile subjection.
- in civitatem recipere, ascribere, asciscere aliquem
- to enroll as a citizen, burgess.
- exterminare (ex) urbe, de civitate aliquem (Mil. 37. 101)
- to expel a person from the city, country.
- imperium populi or populare, civitas or res publica popularis
- democracy.
- omnis memoria, omnis memoria aetatum, temporum, civitatum or omnium rerum, gentium, temporum, saeculorum memoria
- universal history.
cīvĭtas, ātis (
I. gen. plur. civitatium, Cic. Rep. 1, 34, 51; id. Leg. 2, 4, 9; Caes. B. G. 4, 3; 5, 22; Sall. C. 40, 2; Liv. 1, 17, 4; 2, 6, 5; 33, 20, 11 Drak.; 42, 30, 6; 42, 44, 1; 45, 34, 1; Vell. 2, 42, 2; Quint. 2, 16, 4 N. cr.; Suet. Tit. 8 Oud.; Cornut. ap. Charis. p. 100 P.; cf. Varr. L. L. 8, § 66; Prisc. p. 771 P.; Neue, Formenl. 1, 268), f. civis.
I. Abstr., the condition or privileges of a (Roman) citizen, citizenship, freedom of the city (upon its conditions, v. Zimmern, Rechtsgesch. 2, § 123 sq.;
Dict. of Antiq. p. 260 sqq.): Cato, cum esset Tusculi natus, in populi romani civitatem susceptus est: ita, cum ortu Tusculanus esset, civitate Romanus, etc., Cic. Leg. 2, 2, 5: donare aliquem civitate, id. Balb. 13, 20; Suet. Caes. 24; 42; 76; id. Aug. 47; id. Tib. 51; id. Ner. 24: dare civitatem alicui, Cic. Arch. 4, 7; 5, 10; Liv. 1, 28, 7; 8, 14, 8; Suet. Aug. 40; id. Galb. 14: accipere aliquem in civitatem, Cic. Off. 1, 11, 35: adsciscere in civitatem, Liv. 6, 40, 4: ascribere aliquem in civitatem, Cic. Arch. 4, 6: aliquem foederatis civitatibus ascribere, id. ib. 4, 7: in aliis civitatibus ascriptus, id. ib. 5, 10: assequi, Tac. A. 11, 23: consequi, Cic. Balb. 13, 31: deponere, id. Caecin. 34, 100: decedere de civitate, id. Balb. 5, 11: dicare se civitati, id. ib. 11, 28: in civitatem, id. ib. 12, 30: eripere, id. Caecin. 34, 99: habere, id. Balb. 13, 31: impertiri civitatem, id. Arch. 5, 10: furari civitatem, id. Balb. 2, 5: petere, Suet. Caes. 8: Romanam assequi, Tac. A. 11, 23: adipisci, Suet. Aug. 40: Romanam usurpare, id. Calig. 38; id. Claud. 25: amittere civitatem, Cic. Caecin. 34, 98: adimere, id. ib.; Suet. Caes. 28: petere, id. ib. 8: negare, id. Aug. 40: jus civitatis, Cic. Caecin. 34, 98; id. Arch. 5, 11: recipere aliquem in civitatem, id. Caecin. 34, 100; id. Arch. 10,22; id. Balb. 13, 31: relinquere, id. Caecin. 34, 100: retinere civitatem, id. Balb. 12, 30: retinere aliquem in civitate, id. Lig. 11, 33: ademptio civitatis, id. Dom. 30, 78: commemoratio, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 62, § 162: nomen, id. ib.: ereptor, id. Dom. 30, 81.—B. Trop.:
ut oratio Romana plane videatur, non civitate donata, Quint. 8, 1, 3; cf.: civitate Romanā donare agricolationem, Col. 1, 1, 12: verbum hoc a te civitate donatum, naturalized, Gell. 19, 3, 3; Sen. Ep. 120, 4; id. Q. N. 5, 16, 4.—More freq., II. Concr., the citizens united in a community, the body - politic, the state, and as this consists of one city and its territory, or of several cities, it differs from urbs, i.e. the compass of the dwellings of the collected citizens;
but sometimes meton., = urbs, v. B.: concilia coetusque hominum jure sociati, quae civitates appellantur, Cic. Rep. 6, 13, 13: tum conventicula hominum, quae postea civitates nominatae sunt, tum domicilia conjuncta, quas urbes dicimus, etc., id. Sest. 42, 91; cf.: omnis populus, qui est talis coetus multitudinis, qualem exposui; omnis civitas, quae est constitutio populi; omnis res publica, quae populi res est, etc., id. Rep. 1, 26, 41: quia sapiens non sum, nec haec urbs nec in eā civitas ... non dubitavisset, quin et Roma urbs (esset), et eam civitas incoleret, id. Ac. 2, 45, 137: aucta civitate magnitudine urbis, Liv. 1, 45, 1: Orgetorix civitati persuasit, ut de finibus suis cum omnibus copiis exirent, Caes. B. G. 1, 2 Oud.; so id. ib. 1, 4; 1, 19; 1, 31; cf. Sisenn. ap. Non. p. 429, 15: civitates aut nationes devictae, Cic. Off. 1, 11, 35; Sall. C. 31, 1; Liv. 21, 1, 2: io triumphe non semel dicemus civitas omnis, Hor. C. 4, 2, 51; cf. id. Epod. 16, 36 and 18: cum civitas in foro exspectatione erecta staret, Liv. 3, 47, 1; so id. 2, 37, 5; 26, 18, 6; 34, 41, 1; Tac. A. 3, 11; Suet. Calig. 6; id. Tib. 17; 42: civitates aut condere novas aut conservare jam conditas, Cic. Rep. 1, 7, 12; id. Sull. 9, 28; id. Rep. 1, 8, 13; 1, 3, 5: omnis civitas Helvetia in quattuor pagos divisa est, Caes. B. G. 1, 12: quae pars civitatis Helvetiae, etc., id. ib.: non longe a Tolosatium finibus, quae civitas est in provinciā, id. ib. 1, 10: Ubii, quorum fuit civitas ampla atque florens, id. ib. 4, 3: Rhodiorum civitas, magna atque magnifica, Sall. C. 51, 5; cf. id. J. 69, 3: Heraclea quae est civitas aequissimo jure ac foedere, Cic. Arch. 4, 6 et saep.: administrare civitatem, id. Off. 1, 25, 88: mutari civitatum status, id. Leg. 3, 14, 32; so, civitatis status, Quint. 6, 1, 16; 11, 1, 85: (legibus) solutis stare ipsa (civitas) non possit, id. 11, 1, 85: lege civitatis, id. 12, 10, 26; cf. id. 5, 10, 25: mos civitatis, id. 10, 1, 107; 12, 3, 7; 1, 2, 2.—Of Plato's ideal republic: si in illā commenticiā Platonis civitate res ageretur, Cic. de Or. 1, 53, 230.—2. Trop.:
civitas caelitum, Plaut. Rud. prol. 2: ut jam universus hic mundus una civitas sit communis deorum atque hominum existimanda, Cic. Leg. 1, 7, 23.—B. Meton., = urbs, a city (rare and mostly post-Aug.; not in Cic. or Cæs.): civitatem incendere, Enn. ap. Non. p. 429, 5 (Trag. 382 Vahl.):
cum errarem per totam civitatem, Petr. 8, 2; cf. id. 8, 141 fin.: Lingonum, Tac. H. 1, 54; 1, 64: ab excidio civitatis, id. ib. 1, 63; 1, 69: circumjectae civitates, id. ib. 3, 43: muri civitatis, id. ib. 4, 65; id. A. 6, 42: pererrata nocturnis conversationibus, Sen. Ben. 6, 32, 1: expugnare civitatem, Quint. 8, 3, 67; cf.: expugnandae civitates, id. 12, 9, 2: plurimas per totum orbem civitates, terrae motu aut incendio afflictas restituit in melius, Suet. Vesp. 17; cf. id. Tit. 8; id. Tib. 84 fin.; Lact. 2, 7, 19.—2. Esp., the city, i. e. Rome and its inhabitants, Tac. H. 1, 19; 2, 92; 4, 2.
Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
cīvitās ātis (gen plur. -ātium or -ātum), f
civis, the condition of a citizen, citizenship, freedom of the city, membership in the community: populi R.: donare alqm civitate: asciscere in civitatem, L.: recipere in civitatem: relinquere atque deponere: retinere: eripere nobis civitatem, obtain by force: quibus civitas erepta sit, wrested: furari: ius civitatis: communio.—A community of citizens, body-politic, state: auctā civitate magnitudine urbis, L.: civitati persuasit, ut, etc., Cs.: permota, S.: io triumphe dicemus civitas omnis, H.: civitates condere: Helvetia, Cs.: aequissimo iure: administrare civitatem: comitia tot civitatum.—Fig.: ut iam mundus una sit.
Origins
Proto-Indo-European *ḱey-der. Proto-Italic *keiwis Latin ceivis Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-ts Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ts Proto-Italic *-tāts Latin -tās Latin ceivitās Latin civitas From earlier ceivitās, from ceivis + -tās. By surface analysis, cīvi(s) (“citizen”) + -tās.
Italo-Dalmatian
- Italiancittà
- Sardiniantzitadefrom Italian città
- Italiancittade
- ItalianCivita
- Dalmatiancituot
- Istriotsità
- Slavomolisanočitafrom Italian città
- Neapolitancità
- Neapolitancetate
- Siciliancità
Gallo-Romance
- Catalanciutatfrom Old Catalan ciutat
- Frenchcitéfrom Old French citet
- Englishcityfrom Old French citet
- Occitanciutatfrom Old Occitan ciutat
- Franco-Provençalcitât
- Champenoiscitéfrom Old French citet
- Picardchitèfrom Old French citet
- Scotsceetyfrom Old French citet
- Scotsceetiefrom Old French citet
Ibero-Romance
- Portuguesecidadefrom Old Galician-Portuguese cidade
- Spanishciudadfrom Old Spanish cibdat
- Aragoneseciudatfrom Old Navarro-Aragonese ciudat
- Galiciancidadefrom Old Galician-Portuguese cidade
- Asturianciudáfrom Old Leonese ciubdad
- Leoneseciudáfrom Old Leonese ciubdad
- Mirandesecidadefrom Old Leonese ciubdad
- Ladinosivdadfrom Old Spanish cibdat
Insular Romance
- SardinianSa Chitade
Balkano-Romance
- Romaniancetate
- Aromaniantsitati
- Istro-Romaniančetåte
- Megleno-Romaniantsitate
Borrowings
- Englishcivitas
- Albanianqytetfrom Proto-Albanian *kiwitáti
- Proto-Brythonic*kiwdọd
Rhaeto-Romance
- Friuliancitât
- Ladinzità
- Romanshcitad
Gallo-Italic
- Emilianzitè
- Liguriançittæ
- Lombardçitâ
- Lombardcitâ
- Piedmontesesità
- Romagnolzitê
In English words that came into English from cīvitās
- citycīvitās
- citizencīvitās
- citadelcīvitās
- civitascīvitās