LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
verbthird conjugation

distribuō

distribuō (present infinitive distribuere, perfect active distribuī, supine distribūtum)
Classical[dɪsˈtrɪ.bu.oː]Ecclesiastical[disˈtriː.bu.o]

Meaning

  1. to divide or distribute
  2. to assign
    Fuistī igitur apud Laecam illā nocte, Catilīna! Distribuistī partēs Ītaliae, […].You were, therefore, at Laeca’s house on that night, Catiline! You assigned the regions of Italy [to your conspirators], […] .63 BCE, Cicero, In Catilinam orationes 1.9

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Dividere · Partiri · Dirimere · Dispertire · Distribuere

1. Dividere and dirimere mean to divide something, merely in order to break the unity of the whole, and separate it into parts, whereas partiri means to divide, in order to get the parts of the whole, and to be able to dispose of them. Hence the phrases divide et impera, and dividere sententias, but partiri prædam. 2. Divisio denotes, theoretically, the separation of a genus into its species, whereas partitio, the separation of the whole into its parts. Quintil. v. 10, 63. Cic. Top. 5. 3. Dividere refers to a whole, of which the parts are merely locally and mechanically joined, and therefore severs only an exterior connection; but dirimere refers to a whole, of which the parts organically cohere, and destroys an interior connection. Liv. xxii. 15. Casilinum urbs . . . Volturno flumine dirempta Falernum ac Campanum agrum dividit: for the separation of a city into two halves by a river, is an interior separation, whereas the separation of two neighboring districts by a city, is an exterior separation. 4. Dividere means also to separate into parts, without any accessory notion, whereas dispertire, with reference to future possessors, and distribuere, with reference to the right owners, or to proper and suitable places. (iv. 156.)

Conjugation conjugation 3

active indicative
formpresentimperfectfutureperfectpluperfectfut. perfect
1st sg.distribuōdistribuēbamdistribuamdistribuīdistribueramdistribuerō
2nd sg.distribuisdistribuēbāsdistribuēsdistribuistīdistribuerāsdistribueris
3rd sg.distribuitdistribuēbatdistribuetdistribuitdistribueratdistribuerit
1st pl.distribuimusdistribuēbāmusdistribuēmusdistribuimusdistribuerāmusdistribuerimus
2nd pl.distribuitisdistribuēbātisdistribuētisdistribuistisdistribuerātisdistribueritis
3rd pl.distribuuntdistribuēbantdistribuentdistribuērunt
distribuēre		distribuerantdistribuerint
active subjunctive
active subjunctive
formpresentimperfectperfectpluperfect
1st sg.distribuamdistribueremdistribuerimdistribuissem
2nd sg.distribuāsdistribuerēsdistribuerīsdistribuissēs
3rd sg.distribuatdistribueretdistribueritdistribuisset
1st pl.distribuāmusdistribuerēmusdistribuerīmusdistribuissēmus
2nd pl.distribuātisdistribuerētisdistribuerītisdistribuissētis
3rd pl.distribuantdistribuerentdistribuerintdistribuissent
passive indicative
passive indicative
formpresentimperfectfuture
1st sg.distribuordistribuēbardistribuar
2nd sg.distribueris
distribuere		distribuēbāris
distribuēbāre		distribuēris
distribuēre
3rd sg.distribuiturdistribuēbāturdistribuētur
1st pl.distribuimurdistribuēbāmurdistribuēmur
2nd pl.distribuiminīdistribuēbāminīdistribuēminī
3rd pl.distribuunturdistribuēbanturdistribuentur
passive subjunctive
passive subjunctive
formpresentimperfect
1st sg.distribuardistribuerer
2nd sg.distribuāris
distribuāre		distribuerēris
distribuerēre
3rd sg.distribuāturdistribuerētur
1st pl.distribuāmurdistribuerēmur
2nd pl.distribuāminīdistribuerēminī
3rd pl.distribuanturdistribuerentur
imperative
imperative
formactivepassive
pres. 2nd sg.distribuedistribuere
pres. 2nd pl.distribuitedistribuiminī
fut. 2nd sg.distribuitōdistribuitor
fut. 3rd sg.distribuitōdistribuitor
fut. 2nd pl.distribuitōte—
fut. 3rd pl.distribuuntōdistribuuntor
infinitives & participles
infinitives & participles
formactivepassive
present infinitivedistribueredistribuī
perfect infinitivedistribuissedistribūtum esse
future infinitivedistribūtūrum essedistribūtum īrī
present participledistribuēns—
perfect participle—distribūtus
distribūta, distribūtā, distribūtae, distribūtam, distribūtārum, distribūtās, distribūte, distribūtī, distribūtīs, distribūtō, distribūtōrum, distribūtōs
future participledistribūtūrus
distribūtūra, distribūtūrā, distribūtūrae, distribūtūram, distribūtūrārum, distribūtūrās, distribūtūre, distribūtūrī, distribūtūrīs, distribūtūrō, distribūtūrōrum, distribūtūrōs, distribūtūrum		distribuendus
distribuenda, distribuendā, distribuendae, distribuendam, distribuendārum, distribuendās, distribuende, distribuendīs, distribuendōrum, distribuendōs
gerunddistribuendī, distribuendō, distribuendumsupinedistribūtum, distribūtū

dis-trĭbŭo, ŭi, ūtum, 3, v. a.,
I. to divide, distribute (class.; cf.: divido, impertio, dispenso, participo, communico).
I. Lit.: argentum, Ter. Ad. 3, 3, 17: partiendum sibi ac latius distribuendum exercitum putavit, Caes. B. G. 3, 10 fin.: distribuisti partes Italiae, Cic. Cat. 1, 4, 9; cf. id. ib. 3, 4, 8: reliquum populum distribuit in quinque classes, Cic. Rep. 2, 22; cf. id. Leg. 3, 3, 7; Ov. F. 6, 84: copias in tres partes, Caes. B. G. 6, 32, 3; id. B. C. 1, 55, 2: pueros in classes, Quint. 1, 2, 23: orbem in duodecim partes, Cic. Tusc. 1, 28 et saep.: milites circum familias conventus Campani, Caes. B. C. 1, 14 fin.; cf.: gladiatorias familias Capuam et in cetera municipia, Sall. C. 30 fin.: Numidas in hiberna in proximis Thessalis urbibus, Liv. 42, 67: legiones et auxilia provinciatim, Suet. Aug. 49: milites in legiones, Caes. B. C. 3, 4, 2; cf. Front. Strat. 4, 1, 43: gladiatores binos singulis patribus familiarum, distributed among them, apportioned to them, Cic. Att. 7, 14, 2: naves quaestori, legatis, praefectis, equitibus, Caes. B. G. 4, 22, 3 and 5: equos Germanis, id. ib. 7, 65 fin.: pecunias exercitui, id. B. C. 1, 39, 3 al.; cf. also: pecuniam in judices, Cic. Clu. 27, 74: naves in legiones, Tac. A. 2, 8: pecus viritim, Caes. B. G. 7, 71, 7: capita singula ex captivis toto exercitu praedae nomine, id. ib. 7, 89 fin.: Poenorum arma inter suos, Front. Strat. 4, 7, 12 et saep. Rarely of the distributing of a service among several: alterum (genus) emendi, quod praeterea civitatibus aequaliter esset distributum, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 70 Zumpt. —
II. Of abstract objects: quae observata sunt in usu ac tractatione dicendi, haec partibus distributa sunt, Cic. de Or. 1, 23, 109; Quint. 9, 3, 93; cf. id. 9, 1, 34: meministis me ita distribuisse initio causam, Cic. Rosc. Am. 42: vitae opera hac (honesti) regulā, Sen. Ben. 7, 2.—Hence, distrĭ-būte, adv., orderly, methodically (very rare): neque distincte neque distribute scribere, Cic. Tusc. 2, 3, 7: distributius tractare, id. Inv. 2, 59, 177.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*dwóh₁
  2. Latindistribuō

Proto-Indo-European *trísinflu. Proto-Indo-European *d(w)is- Proto-Italic *dis- Latin dis- Proto-Indo-European *tréyes Proto-Indo-European *tri- Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *-dʰh₁eti Proto-Indo-European *-dʰ(h₁)- Proto-Indo-European *-us Proto-Indo-European *tridʰ(h₁)ús? ▲ Proto-Indo-European *tri- Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *tribʰú(H)s? Proto-Italic *triðus Latin tribus Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin tribuō Latin distribuō From dis- + tribuō.

Descendants
  • Catalandistribuir
  • Englishdistribute
  • Italiandistribuire
  • Frenchdistribuerfrom Old French destribueir
  • Romaniandistribuifrom Old French destribueir
  • Portuguesedistribuir
  • Spanishdistribuir
  • Esperantodistribui
  • Galiciandistribuír
  • Dutchdistribuerenfrom Old French destribueir

In English words that came into English from distribuō

  • distributedistributus
  • distributiondistributio
  • distributivedistribūtīvus

Quick answers

What does distribuō mean in Latin?
distribuō, a verb, means “to divide or distribute; to assign”.
What are the principal parts of distribuō?
distribuō, distribuere, distribuī, distribūtum (third conjugation).
How do you pronounce distribuō?
In classical Latin, [dɪsˈtrɪ.bu.oː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [disˈtriː.bu.o].
Where does distribuō come from?
Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ → Latin distribuō.
Which English words come from distribuō?
English words that go back to Latin distribuō include distribute, distribution and distributive.