What is the Latin word for attack?

The usual Latin words for “attack” are adorior, incurrō, oppugnō; also impugnō, urbs, petītiō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“attack” in Latin

adoriorto assail, assault, attack; to accost, approach; to undertake, initiate, engage in incurrōto run into or towards; to attack, invade; to happen (to), befall, occur, to incur oppugnōto attack, assault, storm, besiege impugnōto attack, fight against; to impugn, assail urbsa city, walled town; the City, Rome petītiōan attack, thrust, blow; a request, petition, beseeching; an applying for office impetusan attack, an assault, a charge; a rapid motion; impulse, vehemence, ardor, passion incursiōan onrush, an attack.; an invasion, incursion excursiōrunning forth; sally, onset, attack concurrōto run with others, flock together; to meet, clash, dash together, strike one another; to take refuge

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

attack v.

adoriri, aggredi aliquem: impetum facere, or invadere in aliquem: incurrere or incursare in aliquem: oppugnare or impugnare (urbem, etc.; also aliquem): also signa inferre in hostem; signis infestis inferri in hostem: with the sword, ferro petere or lacessere aliquem: in the rear, a tergo hostes adoriri; hostium terga impugnare: in front, in adversos hostes impetum facere: in flank, in latus hostium incurrere: in two bodies, signa bipartito inferre: to be attacked before and behind, ancipiti acie opprimi (Curt.).

To attack with words: dicto or convicio incessere, lacessere, insectari, consectari, adoriri aliquem (general term): (acerbius) invehi in aliquem (inveigh against): petere aliquem: pugnare contra aliquid: impugnare aliquid: in controversiam vocare aliquid (combat a proposition). To attack a man’s opinion, impugnare alicujus sententiam: a man’s reputation, glory, etc., de fama or gloria alicujus detrahere dignitatem alicujus impugnare; alicujus existimationem oppugnare; incurrere in alicujus famam: to attack openly, aperte petere aliquid: secretly, covertly, occulte cuniculis oppugnare aliquid (Cic.., Agr., 1, l, near the beginning).

To be attacked by a disease: tentari morbo (of a light attack): corripi morbo (of a severe attack): to attack the eyes, aciem oculorum obtundere.

attack s.

petitio (act of aiming at): impetus: incursio: incursus (general term, the last two mostly of violent attacks): excursio (of light troops): concursus: congressus (the mutual attack of two parties): impugnatio: oppngnatio (especially assault of a town). An unprovoked attack, bellum ultro illatum. Frequent attacks of cavalry, procella equestris (Liv.). At, or on, the first attack, primo impetu: primo congressu: to order an attack of cavalry, immittere equites in hostem: to give or sound the signal for attack, bellicum canere: to defeat an attack, impetum frangere, reprimere, propulsare: to stand against an attack, impetum excipere, ferre, or sustinere: to check an attack, impetum tardare or retardare: to be ready, etc., for making an attack, infestis signis consistere. In a wider sense, “to make an attack on anybody’s property,” involare in possessiones alicujus: on a female’s virtue, puellae pudicitiam aggredi or attentare; puellam tentare; puellam de stupro appellare: feminam in stuprum illicere.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for attack?: The usual Latin words for “attack” are adorior, incurrō, oppugnō; also impugnō, urbs, petītiō. 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.