noun · femininefirst declension
cōnscientia
cōnscientia f (genitive cōnscientiae)
Classical[kõː.skiˈɛn.ti.a]Ecclesiastical[kon̠ʲ.ʃiˈɛn.t͡si.a]
Meaning
- knowledge shared with others, being in the know or privy to, joint knowledge; complicity
- knowledge within oneself, consciousness, inward feeling, awareness
Aptissima omnīnō sunt, Scīpiō et Laelī, arma senectūtis artēs exercitātiōnēsque virtūtum, quae in omnī aetāte cultae, cum diū multumque vīxerīs, mīrificōs ecferunt frūctūs, nōn sōlum quia numquam dēserunt, nē extrēmō quidem tempore aetātis (quamquam id quidem maximum est), vērum etiam quia cōnscientiā bene actae vītae multōrumque bene factōrum recordātiō iūcundissima est.
Altogether, Scipio and Laelius, the most effective weapons of old age are the principles and the constant practice of the virtues. When these have been cultivated throughout every stage of life — after one has lived a long and full life — they yield wonderful fruits. This is true not only because they never fail you, not even at the very end of life (though that is certainly of the highest importance), but also because the consciousness of a life well-spent and the memory of many good deeds is a source of the greatest possible joy.106 BCE – 43 BCE, Cicero, Cato Maior De Senectute 3.9 - knowledge within oneself of right or wrong; conscience; remorse
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | cōnscientia | cōnscientiae |
| genitive | cōnscientiae | cōnscientiārum |
| dative | cōnscientiae | cōnscientiīs |
| accusative | cōnscientiam | cōnscientiās |
| ablative | cōnscientiā | cōnscientiīs |
| vocative | cōnscientia | cōnscientiae |
Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book
- conscientia recte factorum erigi
- to congratulate oneself on one's clear conscience.
- conscientia mala angi, excruciari
- to be tormented by remorse.
- conscientia morderi (Tusc. 4. 20. 45)
- to be conscience-stricken.
- conscientiae maleficiorum stimulant aliquem
- his guilty conscience gives him no rest.
- conscientia mala or peccatorum, culpae, sceleris, delicti
- a guilty conscience.
- conscientia recta, recte facti (factorum), virtutis, bene actae vitae, rectae voluntatis
- a good conscience.
conscĭentĭa, ae, f. conscio,
I. a knowing of a thing together with another person, joint knowledge, consciousness (in good prose, and very freq.).
I. A joint knowledge of something, a being privy to, a knowing along with others, privity, cognizance, etc.
(a). With gen. subj.:
omnium horum, Cic. Cat. 1, 1, 1; so, hominum, id. Fin. 2, 9, 28: plurium, Liv. 2, 54, 7: liberti unius, Tac. A. 6, 21; cf. Suet. Calig. 56 al.: generis humani, Tac. Agr. 2.—(b). With gen. obj. (thus for the most part in Tac.):
in conscientiam facinoris pauci asciti, Tac. H. 1, 25: facti, id. A. 2, 22: conjurationis, id. H. 1, 42: stupri, Dig. 48, 5, 29.—Plur.: consilia conscientiaeque ejus modi facinorum, Cic. Clu. 20, 56. —(g). Absol.:
non modo eos persequi, ad quos maxime culpa corrupti judicii, sed etiam illos, ad quos conscientiae contagio pertinebit, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 71, § 183: qui non modo a facti verum etiam a conscientiae suspitione afuit, id. Cael. 10, 23: nocte perfugit Tanagram, suam conscientiam metuens, Liv. 33, 28, 10: simulare, Tac. A. 2, 40; 4, 3; cf. id. H. 1, 28; Curt. 7, 1, 31.—II. Consciousness, knowledge, feeling, sense.
A. In gen. (rare).
(a). With gen.:
unde haec illis tanta modestia, nisi a conscientiā virium et nostrarum et suarum? Liv. 8, 4, 10 (cf. γ); so, contracti culpā periculi, id. 3, 2, 11: suae infirmitatis, Quint. 1, 2, 10: rebellionis, Tac. A. 12, 31; cf. defectionis, id. Agr. 16: victoriae, id. ib. 27: unionum in somno quoque, Plin. 33, 3, 12, § 40: amissae fortunae, a recollection, Flor. 2, 12, 10: ipsa pulcherrimi facti, Cic. Phil. 2, 44, 114: officii mei benevolentiaeque, id. Fam. 3, 7, 6 fin.: scelerum tuorum, id. Pis. 17, 39; cf. Sall. C. 5, 7: peccatorum, Cic. Par. 5, 3, 40: culpae, Liv. 28, 19, 1 et saep.—In plur., Cic. Clu. 20, 56: te conscientiae stimulant maleficiorum tuorum, id. Par. 2, 2, 18; cf. under B. 2.—* (b). With de: satisfactionem ex nullà conscientiā de culpā proponere decrevi, Cat. ap. Sall. C. 35, 2; cf. conscius, I. δ—
(g). With rel.-clause (very rare):
illi conscientia, quid abesset virium, detrectavere pugnam, Liv. 3, 60, 6; 28, 19, 5.—(d). Absol.: ut nostram stabilem conscientiam contemnamus, aliorum errantem opinionem aucupemur, self-consciousness, Cic. Fin. 2, 22, 71:
illud se tacere suam conscientiam non pati, Liv. 5, 25, 6: in veris quoque sufficit conscientia, consciousness, Quint. 11, 1, 17: sine hac quidem conscientiā ipsa illa ex tempore dicendi facultas inanem modo loquacitatem dabit, without this feeling, equiv. to without this persuasion, id. 10, 3, 2: quamvis capite defectionis ablato manebat plerisque militum conscientia, Tac. H. 1, 5.— So pregn., with ne, a conscientious fear, guilty fear, Tac. Agr. 42.—B. In partic., a consciousness of right or wrong, the moral sense, conscience:
magna vis est conscientiae ... in utramque partem, ut neque timeant qui nihil commiserint et poenam semper ante oculos versari putent qui peccarint, Cic. Mil. 23, 61; cf.: et virtutis et vitiorum grave ipsius conscientiae pondus, id. N. D. 3, 35, 85: bona conscientia turbam advocat, mala etiam in solitudine anxia atque sollicita est, Sen. Ep. 43, 5: ad purgandam publicam conscientiam, Just. 31, 4, 3: recta, a good conscience, Cic. Att. 13, 20, 4; cf. egregia, Liv. 29, 33, 9: bona, Cels. ap. Quint. 2, 15, 32; Quint. 6, 1, 33; 9, 2, 93; Tac. Agr. 1: optima, Plin. Ep. 1, 12, 3: salvā bonā conscientiā, Sen. Q. N. 4, praef. § 15: integra, Front. 1, 9, 3; Lact. 5, 19, 32: mala, a bad conscience, Sall. J. 62, 8; Quint. 12, 1, 3: infelix, id. 6, prooem. § 10.—* b. Prov.:
conscientia mille testes, Quint. 5, 11, 41.— 2. Sometimes absol. for a good, or for a bad conscience.
a. A good conscience:
mea mihi conscientia pluris est quam omnium sermo, Cic. Att. 12, 28, 2; cf.: illud est hominis magni ... maximi aestimare conscientiam mentis suae, etc., id. Clu. 58, 159: in quibus ego nec dissentire a nostris salvā gratiā nec consentire salvā conscientiā possum, Sen. Ep. 117, 1: ad sacrificium integrā conscientiā venire, Lact. 5, 19, 32; Front. Strat. 1, 9, 3.—b. A bad conscience:
hunc tu quas conscientiae labes in animo censes habuisse? Cic. Off. 3, 21, 85; id. Cat. 2, 6, 13; id. Leg. 1, 14, 40; Sall. C. 15, 4; id. J. 35, 4; Quint. 5, 13, 46.—In the same sense: animi, Cic. Fin. 2, 16, 53; 2, 17, 54; id. Att. 13, 49 fin.; Caes. B. C. 3, 60; Phaedr. 3, prol. 47; and in plur.: suae (quemque) malae cogitationes conscientiaeque animi terrent, Cic. Rosc. Am. 24, 67.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
cōnscientia ae, f
conscio, joint knowledge, consciousness, common knowledge, privity, cognizance: conscientiae contagio: alqm in conscientiam adsumere, Ta.: a conscientiae suspitione abesse: perfugit, suam conscientiam metuens, L.: conscientiae eius modi facinorum: hominum: plurium, L.—Consciousness, knowledge, feeling, sense: nostra: sua, L.: virium nostrarum, L.: pulcherrimi facti: scelerum tuorum, Cs.: spretorum (deorum), L.: de culpā, S.: conscientiā, quid abesset virium, detractavere pugnam, L.: inerat conscientia derisui fuisse triumphum, he was keenly aware, Ta. — A sense of right, moral sense, conscience: recta, a good conscience: egregia, L.: bonae conscientiae pretium, of self - approval, Ta.: Abacta nullā conscientiā, scruple, H.: generis humani, the moral judgment, Ta.: mala, S.—A good conscience, self - approval: maximi aestimare conscientiam mentis suae: in gravi fortunā conscientiā suā niti. — A sense of guilt, remorse: fuga, et sceleris et conscientiae testis: conscientiā convictus: angor conscientiae: mentem vastabat, S.: animi.—With ne, guilty fear, Ta.
Origins
From cōnsciēns (“conscious”) + -ia, a calque of Ancient Greek συνείδησις (suneídēsis).
Descendants
- Catalanconsciència
- Italiancoscienza
- Frenchconsciencefrom Old French conscience
- Englishconsciencefrom Old French conscience
- Portugueseconsciência
- Romanianconștiință
- Spanishconsciencia
- Spanishconciencia
- GermanGewissenfrom Old High German giwizzanī
- Friuliancussience
In English words that came into English from cōnscientia
- consciencecōnscientia