English → Latin
“affectionate” in Latin
tenersoft, delicate, tender; young, youthful; effeminate, sensitivemollissoft, delicate to the touch; pliant, flexible, supple; mild, tenderblanduspleasant, agreeable; enticing, seductive, alluring; persuasiveamōto love; to be fond of, like, admire; to be pleased by or with (someone or something) for (a particular reason); to deripiuspious, devout; dutiful, loyal, conscientious; good, blessedindulgeōto be kind or courteous (to); to be inclined (to); give free rein (to); to give oneself up (to); to be addicted (to), inuxora wife, a spouse, a consort
The English word affectionate itself goes back to Latin afficiō, through affectiōnātus.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
affectionate
tener (tender: sensitive): mollis (soft, gentle): blandus (showing visible signs of affection): amoris plenus (full of love): amans (mostly with genitive of a person tenderly beloved; e.g., uxoris): pius (full of dutiful affection to parents, children, etc.): indulgens (overlooking faults). (The words are found in this connection and order), amans indulgensque. [Observe, affectuosus, in very late writers: Macrobius, Cassiodorus, Tert.]. Affectionate upbraidings, molles querelae: to write an affectionate letter to anybody, litteras amoris plenas dare ad aliquem: very affectionate words, verba blandissima, amantissima.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for affectionate?
- The usual Latin words for “affectionate” are tener, mollis, blandus; also amō, pius, indulgeō. 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.