English → Latin
“ass” in Latin
asinusdonkey, ass; ass, cretin, idiot, dolt, blockhead, donkey (a slow-witted, inept person)stīpōto crowd or press together, compress; to cram, stuff, fill; to surround, encompasstruncustree trunk; a piece cut off; blockhead, dunce, doltasellusSmall or young ass or donkey; diminutive of asinusonagerwild ass; onager; onager (type of military engine)
The English word ass itself goes back to Latin asinus.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
ass
asinus. Little ass, asellus. Young ass, colt of an ass, pullus asininus. The ass brays, asinus rudit. A wild ass, onager.
As a word of contempt (= fool, dolt) the Romans used asinus only of a simple, sillyperson, [In me quidvis harum rerum convenit Quae sunt dictae in stultum, caudex stipes, asinus, plumbeus, Ter.]: stipes: truncus: aeque hebes ac pecus, (Cic.). Ass’s skin, pellis asinina: milk, lac asininum.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for ass?
- The usual Latin words for “ass” are asinus, stīpō, truncus; also asellus, onager. 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.