LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
English → Latin

“aid” in Latin

The English word aid itself goes back to Latin iuvō, through adiuto.

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

aid
juvare, adjuvare, opera adjuvare (opposed to impedire: to assist a person striving to do something, which our help may enable him to do sooner or better: in anything, in aliqua re): auxilium ferre alicui; auxiliari alicui; esse alicui auxilio: opem ferre alicui: opitulari alicui (opposed to destituere, deserere: to help a person in distress. In auxilium ferre, etc, the helper is conceived rather as an ally, bound to assist: in opem ferre. etc., as a generous benefactor. Against anything or anybody, contra aliquid or aliquem): succurrere alicui (to run to anybody’s assistance in danger or distress): alicui subsidio venire: alicui subvenire (to come to anybody’s assistance in danger or distress: also, of soldiers): sublevare aliquem (to help a person up; assist in supporting him; e.g., aliquem facultatibus suis, Cic.). [Vid: HELP] To aid anybody in doing anything, alicui opitulari in aliqua re tacienda: alicui operam suam commodare ad aliquid: alicui operam praebere in aliqua re (the last, especially of manual labor). Their bodily strength did not aid them, nihil iis corporis vires auxiliatae sunt (Cic.).
aid s.
anxilium (help, considered with respect to the person assisted, whose strength is thereby increased; plur., auxilia, auxiliary troops): ops (any means of assisting another; help, with reference to the giver): subsidium (assistance provided against the time of need: of troops, the reserve): adjumentum (assistance, as what helps us to compass an object; e.g., adjumentum reigerendae): praesidium (protecting assistance; securing the obtaining of an object): opera (active help rendered; service): medicina alicujus rei (remedial aid, serving for the prevention or removal of an evil). By anybody’s aid, alicujus auxilio; alicujus ope; alicujus ope adjutus; aliquo adjuvante; aliquo adjutore; alicujus opera. Without foreign (i. e., another parson’s) aid, sua sponte, per se. By the aid of God, juvante Deo, divina ope, or (if spoken of conditionally) si Deus juvetor adjuvabit. By the aid of anything, mostly the ablative only; e.g., ingenio et cogitatione. To offer one’s aid to anybody, offerre se, si quo usus operae sit: toward or for anything, ad aliquid operam suam profiteri: for any purpose whatever, in omnia ultro suam offerre operam. To bring aid to anybody, alicui auxilium, or opem anxiliumque, alicui praesidium, orsuppetias, or subsidium ferre: alicui auxilium afferre: alicui praesidium offerre (of aid implored; Vid: Liv., 3, 4): alicui auxilio, or adjumento, or praesidio esse: alicui adesse or praesto esse. [Vid. AID, v., and ASSISTANCE] To seek the aid of a physician, medico uti: medicum morbo adhibere: for a sick person, medicum ad aegrotum adducere. In every circumstance of life we require the aid of our fellow-men, omnis ratio atque institutio vitae) adjumenta bominum desiderat.
A subsidy, collatio (contribution of money to the Roman emperors): stips: collecta, ae, (a contribution).

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for aid?
The usual Latin words for “aid” are iuvō, adiuvō, dēserō; also ops, subsidium, adiūmentum. 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.