LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinethird declension

cliēns

cliēns m or f (genitive clientis)
Classical[ˈkli.ẽːs]Ecclesiastical[ˈkliː.ens]

Meaning

  1. customer
  2. client, retainer, follower
  3. companion, favorite
  4. ally, vassal
  5. one under the protection of a particular deity
    cliēns Bacchī"client of Bacchus"

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativecliēns
clienta		clientēs
clientae
genitiveclientis
clientae		clientium
clientārum
dativeclientī
clientae		clientibus
accusativeclientem
clientam		clientīs
clientēs, clientās
ablativecliente
clientā		clientibus
vocativecliēns
clienta		clientēs
clientae

clĭens or clŭens, entis (
I. gen. plur. usu. clientium; clientūm, Plaut. Men. 4, 2, 7; Hor. C. 3, 5, 53; Sen. Ep. 68, 9; Macr. S. 1, 2, 1), m. (comm. acc. to Charis. p. 77 P.; cf. Neue, Formenl. 1, 600, and v. clienta) [for cluens, from clueo, to hear; but acc. to Serv. ad Verg. A. 6, 609, from colens], one who hears, in relation to his protector (patronus), a client (Dion. Halic. 2, 9 and 10, pp. 83-85; cf. Nieb. Röm. Gesch. 1, p. 359 sq.; Gell. 5, 13, 2; Cato ap. Gell. 5, 13, 4; Gell. 20, 1, 40; and clientela): cluentes sibi omnes volunt esse multos... Res magis quaeritur, quam cluentum fides Quojusmodi clueat, Plaut. Men. 4, 2, 4 sq.: PATRONVS. SI. CLIENTI. FRAVDEM. FECERIT. SACER. ESTO., Frag. XII. Tab. ap. Serv. ad Verg. A. 6, 609; Cato ap. Gell. 5, 13, 4: neque clientes sine summā infamiā deseri possunt, C. Caesar ib. fin.; Cic. Rosc. Am. 7, 19 et saep.—
B. In gen., a client, retainer, follower; e. g. of an adherent of the Gaul Orgetorix, Caes. B. G. 1, 4 (metaph. ὑπήκοος); 6, 15; 6, 19; of Segestes, Tac. A. 1, 57 al.—
2. A companion, favorite: juvenum nobilium (Vergilius), Hor. C. 4, 12, 15 Dillenb. ad loc.—
3. Of whole nations, the allies, dependents, or vassals of a more powerful people, Caes. B. G. 1, 31; 5, 39; 6, 12 al.—
II. Trop.: cliens Bacchi (i. e. qui est in tutelā Bacchi), under the protection of Bacchus, a client of Bacchus, Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 78; cf. Mart. 12, 77, and clientela.

Origins

* Possibly an alteration of cluēns, present active participle of clueō (“to be called, named, esteemed”). : Compare typologically Czech zákazník, Russian зака́зчик (zakázčik) (akin to Russian сказа́ть (skazátʹ) < Proto-Slavic *kazati); Ukrainian замо́вник (zamóvnyk) (< мо́вити (móvyty) < Proto-Slavic *mъlviti). * Alternatively from clīnō (“to lean”). In this case ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱel- (“to incline”).

Descendants
  • Catalanclient
  • GermanKlient
  • Italiancliente
  • Occitanclient
  • Frenchclientfrom Old French client
  • Englishclientfrom Old French client
  • Portuguesecliente
  • Spanishcliente
  • Idoklientofrom Esperanto kliento
  • Galiciancliente

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

AntiquitiesCliensCliens contains the same linguistic element as cluere (κλύειν), to hear or obey: cf. the affinity in German of Gehorsam, gehorchen, angehörig, Höriger…

Quick answers

What does cliēns mean in Latin?
cliēns, a noun, means “customer; client, retainer, follower; companion, favorite”.
What is the genitive of cliēns?
The genitive singular is clientis. cliēns is masculine, third declension.
How do you pronounce cliēns?
In classical Latin, [ˈkli.ẽːs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈkliː.ens].