LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
verbfourth conjugation

dēfīniō

dēfīniō (present infinitive dēfīnīre, perfect active dēfīnīvī, supine dēfīnītum)
Classical[deːˈfiː.ni.oː]Ecclesiastical[deˈfiː.ni.o]

Meaning

  1. to bound, set bounds to; to limit
  2. to define, explain, designate by limiting
  3. to terminate, finish

In the readers how our graded readers gloss it

Conjugation conjugation 4

active indicative
formpresentimperfectfutureperfectpluperfectfut. perfect
1st sg.dēfīniōdēfīniēbamdēfīniamdēfīnīvīdēfīnīveramdēfīnīverō
2nd sg.dēfīnīsdēfīniēbāsdēfīniēsdēfīnīvistīdēfīnīverāsdēfīnīveris
3rd sg.dēfīnitdēfīniēbatdēfīnietdēfīnīvitdēfīnīveratdēfīnīverit
1st pl.dēfīnīmusdēfīniēbāmusdēfīniēmusdēfīnīvimusdēfīnīverāmusdēfīnīverimus
2nd pl.dēfīnītisdēfīniēbātisdēfīniētisdēfīnīvistisdēfīnīverātisdēfīnīveritis
3rd pl.dēfīniuntdēfīniēbantdēfīnientdēfīnīvērunt
dēfīnīvēre, dēfīnīērunt		dēfīnīverantdēfīnīverint
active subjunctive
active subjunctive
formpresentimperfectperfectpluperfect
1st sg.dēfīniamdēfīnīremdēfīnīverimdēfīnīvissem
2nd sg.dēfīniāsdēfīnīrēsdēfīnīverīsdēfīnīvissēs
3rd sg.dēfīniatdēfīnīretdēfīnīveritdēfīnīvisset
dēfīnīsset
1st pl.dēfīniāmusdēfīnīrēmusdēfīnīverīmusdēfīnīvissēmus
2nd pl.dēfīniātisdēfīnīrētisdēfīnīverītisdēfīnīvissētis
3rd pl.dēfīniantdēfīnīrentdēfīnīverintdēfīnīvissent
passive indicative
passive indicative
formpresentimperfectfuture
1st sg.dēfīniordēfīniēbardēfīniar
2nd sg.dēfīnīris
dēfīnīre		dēfīniēbāris
dēfīniēbāre		dēfīniēris
dēfīniēre
3rd sg.dēfīnīturdēfīniēbāturdēfīniētur
1st pl.dēfīnīmurdēfīniēbāmurdēfīniēmur
2nd pl.dēfīnīminīdēfīniēbāminīdēfīniēminī
3rd pl.dēfīniunturdēfīniēbanturdēfīnientur
passive subjunctive
passive subjunctive
formpresentimperfect
1st sg.dēfīniardēfīnīrer
2nd sg.dēfīniāris
dēfīniāre		dēfīnīrēris
dēfīnīrēre
3rd sg.dēfīniāturdēfīnīrētur
1st pl.dēfīniāmurdēfīnīrēmur
2nd pl.dēfīniāminīdēfīnīrēminī
3rd pl.dēfīnianturdēfīnīrentur
imperative
imperative
formactivepassive
pres. 2nd sg.dēfīnīdēfīnīre
pres. 2nd pl.dēfīnītedēfīnīminī
fut. 2nd sg.dēfīnītōdēfīnītor
fut. 3rd sg.dēfīnītōdēfīnītor
fut. 2nd pl.dēfīnītōte—
fut. 3rd pl.dēfīniuntōdēfīniuntor
infinitives & participles
infinitives & participles
formactivepassive
present infinitivedēfīnīredēfīnīrī
perfect infinitivedēfīnīvissedēfīnītum esse
future infinitivedēfīnītūrum essedēfīnītum īrī
present participledēfīniēns—
perfect participle—dēfīnītus
dēfīnīta, dēfīnītā, dēfīnītae, dēfīnītam, dēfīnītārum, dēfīnītās, dēfīnītī, dēfīnītōrum, dēfīnītōs
future participledēfīnītūrus
dēfīnītūra, dēfīnītūrā, dēfīnītūrae, dēfīnītūram, dēfīnītūrārum, dēfīnītūrās, dēfīnītūre, dēfīnītūrī, dēfīnītūrīs, dēfīnītūrō, dēfīnītūrōrum, dēfīnītūrōs, dēfīnītūrum		dēfīniendus
dēfīniundus, dēfīnienda, dēfīniendā, dēfīniendae, dēfīniendam, dēfīniendārum, dēfīniendās, dēfīniende, dēfīniendīs, dēfīniendōrum, dēfīniendōs
gerunddēfīniendī, dēfīniendō, dēfīniendumsupinedēfīnītum, dēfīnītū

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

rem (res) definire
to define a thing.
imperium orbis terrarum terminis definitur
the empire reaches to the ends of the world.
spinae partiendi et definiendi (Tusc. 5. 8. 22)
minute, captious subdivisions and definitions.
involutae rei notitiam definiendo aperire (Or. 33. 116)
to make an obscure notion clear by means of definition.
iracundiam sic (ita) definiunt, ut ulciscendi libidinem esse dicant or ut u. libido sit or iracundiam sic definiunt, ulc. libidinem
anger is defined as a passionate desire for revenge.

dēfīnĭo, īvi, ītum, 4, v. a.
I. To bound, to set bounds to; to limit, terminate, define (for syn. v. decerno—freq. in Cic.).
A. Lit.: ejus fundi extremam partem oleae directo ordine definiunt, Cic. Caecin. 8, 22; cf. id. Rep. 2, 6: orbes caeli aspectum nostrum definiunt, id. Div. 2, 44; cf. id. N. D. 2, 40: orbem terrarum (loca), id. Balb. 28, 64; imperium populi R., id. Sest. 31, 67 al. —
B. Trop.
1. To designate by limiting; to limit, define, determine; to explain (cf. circumscribo, no. II. A.): genus universum brevi circumscribi et definiri potest, Cic. Sest. 45, 97; cf. id. de Or. 1, 16, 70: universam et propriam oratoris vim, id. ib. 1, 15: definienda res erit verbis et breviter describenda, id. Inv. 1, 8 fin.; cf. Cic. Rep. 1, 24; 2, 31 fin.: omitto innumerabiles viros, etc.... unum hoc definio, tantam esse necessitatem virtutis, etc., this only I declare, etc., id. ib. 1, 1 fin.: probe definitur a Stoicis fortitudo, cum eam virtutem esse dicunt propugnantem pro aequitate, id. Off. 1, 19; 1, 27, 96; id. Fin. 2, 2 et saep.: nec uno modo definitur res eadem, Quint. 7, 3, 16; Tac. A. 6, 28 et saep.: aedes sibi optimas, hortos, etc., Cic. Phil. 8, 3, 9; cf.: ut suus cuique locus erat definitus, Caes. B. G. 7, 81, 4: tempus adeundi, id. ib. 7, 83, 5: cf.: ante quem diem iturus sit, id. B. C. 1, 11, 2: annos, Quint. 12, 6, 1: consulatum in annos, Caes. B. C. 3, 82, 4; cf.: potestatem in quinquennium, Cic. Agr. 2, 13: ut quam vitam ingrediar, definias, id. Ac. 2, 36; cf. id. Quint. 27: non remittam: definitum est, it is determined, decided, Plaut. Cist. 2, 1, 43; Cic. Fat. 5, 9; Vulg. 1 Reg. 20, 33.—
2. In opposition to breadth or laxity (cf. circumscribo, no. II. 2), to limit within certain bounds, to restrict, confine: non vagabitur oratio mea longius atque eis fere ipsis definietur viris, qui, etc., Cic. de Or. 3, 3: quae sententia definit amicitiam paribus officiis ac voluntatibus, Cic. Lael. 16, 58; cf. id. de Or. 3, 28, 109: ex perduellium numero definitus, included in the definition of, Off. 3, 29, 107 (dub.). —
II. To terminate, finish (very rare; perh. only in the foll. places): ut totam hujus generis orationem concludam atque definiam, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 52 Zumpt; id. Or. 19 fin.: definito juvene, ended, i. e. slain, Apul. M. 8, p. 203, 20.—Hence, dēfīnītus, a, um, P. a. (according to no. I. B. 1), definite, limited, distinct, precise; plain, perspicuous (rare, but good prose): quaestionum duo sunt genera: alterum infinitum, alterum definitum. Definitum est, quod ὑπόθεσιν Graeci, nos causam, etc., Cic. Top. 21; so opp. generales, Quint. 7, 2, 1: certum esse in caelo ac definitum locum, ubi, etc., Cic. Rep. 6, 13; so with certus, id. Fam. 3, 8; Quint. 7, 10, 7: quaestiones, Cic. Top. 24 fin.—Adv.: dē-fīnītē, definitely, precisely, distinctly, etc., Cic. Balb. 14; de Or. 2, 27, 118; Plin. Pan. 88, 6; Gell. 1, 257 al.—Comp. and sup. do not occur.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*de
  2. Proto-Indo-European*déh₁
  3. Proto-Italic*dē
  4. Latindēfīniō

Latin dē- Latin fīnis Proto-Indo-European *-yétider. Latin -iō Latin fīniō Latin dēfīniō From dē- + fīniō (“set a limit, bound, end”).

Descendants
  • Catalandefinir
  • Germandefinieren
  • Italiandefinire
  • Portuguesedefinir
  • Spanishdefinir
  • Asturiandefinir
  • Dutchdefiniëren
  • Friuliandefinî
  • Galiciandefinir
  • Interlinguadefinir

In English words that came into English from dēfīniō

  • definitiondēfīnītiō
  • definedēfīniō
  • definitedēfīnītus
  • indefiniteindēfīnītus
  • definiendumdēfīniendum

Quick answers

What does dēfīniō mean in Latin?
dēfīniō, a verb, means “to bound, set bounds to; to limit; to define, explain, designate by limiting”.
What are the principal parts of dēfīniō?
dēfīniō, dēfīnīre, dēfīnīvī, dēfīnītum (fourth conjugation).
How do you pronounce dēfīniō?
In classical Latin, [deːˈfiː.ni.oː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [deˈfiː.ni.o].
Where does dēfīniō come from?
Proto-Indo-European *de → Proto-Indo-European *déh₁ → Proto-Italic *dē → Latin dēfīniō.
Which English words come from dēfīniō?
English words that go back to Latin dēfīniō include define, definite, definition, indefinite and definiendum.