LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinesecond declension

commentārius

commentārius m (genitive commentāriī or commentārī)
Classical[kɔm.mɛnˈtaː.ri.ʊs]Ecclesiastical[kom.menˈtaː.ri.us]

Meaning

  1. memorandum, notebook
    Commentarii de Bello GallicoCommentaries on the Gallic War
  2. diary, journal
  3. a brief

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

librī rērum gestārum; hoc nōmen Caesar librīs suīs dedit
notebooks, memoirs
commentāriī -ōrum (m) — in De Bello Gallico III, ch. 22

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Cogitare · Meditari · Commentari

1. Cogitare (from the Goth. hugjan) denotes the usual activity of the mind, which cannot exist without thinking, or employing itself about something; meditari (from μέδεσθαι), the continued and intense activity of the mind, which aims at a definite result. Ter. Heaut. iii. 3, 46. Quid nunc facere cogitas? Compare this with Adelph. v. 6, 8. Meditor esse affabilis. Cic. Cat. i. 9, 22. In Tusc. iii. 6, cogitatio means little more than consciousness; whereas meditatio means speculative reflection. 2. Meditari has an intensive meaning, with earnestness, exertion, and vivacity; commentari (only in Cicero) means to reflect leisurely, quietly, and profoundly. (v. 198.)

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativecommentāriuscommentāriī
genitivecommentāriī
commentārī		commentāriōrum
dativecommentāriōcommentāriīs
accusativecommentāriumcommentāriōs
ablativecommentāriōcommentāriīs
vocativecommentāriecommentāriī

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

latine commentari
to write treatises in Latin.
orationem commentari (Fam. 16. 26)
to prepare, get up a speech.
aliquid in commentarios suos referre (Tusc. 3. 22. 54)
to enter a thing in one's note-book.

commentārĭus, ii, m. (sc. liber;
I. both together, Gell. 13, 20, 17); commentā-rĭum, ii, n. (sc. volumen, Varr. L. L. 6, § 90 Müll.; Cic. Brut. 44, 164; cf. commentariolum) [commentor].
I. Orig. a note-book, sketch-book, memorandum: diurni, a journal, Suet. Aug. 64.—
II. As the title of a book on any subject, but esp. historical, which is only sketched down or written without care (mostly in plur.), a sketch, a paper, memoirs, a commentary, etc., Cic. Fam. 5, 12, 10; Liv. 42, 6, 3; Quint. 2, 11, 7; 3, 8, 58; 3, 8, 67; 8, 2, 12; 10, 7, 30 al.; Tac. A. 6, 47; Suet. Tib. 61 et saep. Thus the two works of Cæsar upon the Gallic and civil wars are called Commentarii, commentaries, Cic. Brut. 75, 262; Hirt. and Asin. Pollio ap. Suet. Caes. 56.—Of a single book: superiore commentario, i. e. in the Seventh Book, Hirt. B. G. 8, 30; cf. Gai Inst. 2, 23; 2, 145.—
B. Esp.
1. A commentary, exposition, brief explanation, annotation: commentarium in Vergilium, Gell. 2, 6, 1; cf. id. 1, 12; 1, 21.—
2. In law, a brief, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 21, § 54.—
3. The day-book of an accounting officer, Inscr. Grut. 592, 4; Inscr. Orell. 2904.—
4. A collection of examples or citations, Quint. 1, 8, 19.—
5. A pupil's notes of a lecture or lesson, Quint. 3, 6, 59.

Origins

From commentor + -ārius.

Descendants
  • Catalancomentari
  • GermanKommentar
  • Italiancommentario
  • Frenchcommentairefrom Middle French commentaire
  • Romaniancomentariufrom Middle French commentaire
  • Englishcommentaryfrom Middle French commentaire
  • Portuguesecomentário
  • Spanishcomentario
  • Galiciancomentario
  • Dutchcommentaarfrom German Kommentar

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

AntiquitiesCommentariusCommentarius COMMENTARII (ὑπομνήματα), properly notes or note-books. Hence the word acquires a variety of meanings, of which the most important are th…

Quick answers

What does commentārius mean in Latin?
commentārius, a noun, means “memorandum, notebook; diary, journal; a brief”.
What is the genitive of commentārius?
The genitive singular is commentāriī. commentārius is masculine, second declension.
How do you pronounce commentārius?
In classical Latin, [kɔm.mɛnˈtaː.ri.ʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [kom.menˈtaː.ri.us].