English → Latin
“active” in Latin
industriusactive, industrious, assiduous, diligentnāvusactive, busy, diligentoperōsuspainstaking; active, busy, industrious; laboriouslabōriōsuslaborious, toilsome, demanding; industrious, hard-workingassiduusconstant, regular, perpetual; unremitting, incessantdīligōto esteem, prize, love, have regard, to delight in (something); to set apart by choosing, to single (something) out, to sēdulusdiligent, industrious, zealous, unremitting, solicitous, assiduous, sedulousāctuōsusactive, busy, energeticācersharp, sour, bitter, pungent; keen, sharp, acute, sagacious; energetic, active, vigorousimpigeractive, energetic, diligent
The English word active itself goes back to Latin agō, through activus.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
active
industrius, navus, operosus, laboriosus, assiduus, diligens, sedulus (Syn. under ACTIVITY): actuosus (opposed to nihil agens, inclined to action, full of activity; e.g., of virtue, the mind, etc.; or opposed to quietus, of an actite life. It can not be used safely in any other relations: still rarer is activus, which occurs in Sen. in philosophia activa, opposed to contemplativa): acer (full of fire and energy): impiger (setting to work vigorously; unwearied by exertions): setrennus (rigorously and earnestly active: e.g., mercator): agens, ciens (active in philosophy, opposed to patibilis, passive). (The words are found in this connection and order), navus et industrius: industrius et acer: acer et industrius: operosus et semper agens aliquid et moliens. Active in business, in rebus gerendis acer et industrius. To be always active, semper agere aliquid (et moliri): to be active (of things), vigere. To be active in anybody’s cause, niti pro aliquo :”he used to say that he was never more active than when he was doing nothing,” dicebat nunquam se plus agere quam nihil cum ageret.
Active verb, verbum agens (opposed to verbum patiendi, Gell., 18, 12, end).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for active?
- The usual Latin words for “active” are industrius, nāvus, operōsus; also labōriōsus, assiduus, dīligō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.