English → Latin
“bail” in Latin
spōnsiōsolemn promise, bet, or agreementfidēiussiōsurety, bailvadimōniuma promise secured by bail; an appointmentcautiōprecaution, caution; stipulation, proviso, exceptionsatisdatiōthe act of giving bail or depositing security; a guaranteespōnsora bondsman, suretyspondeōto promise, bind or pledge oneself, contract, vow; to guarantee; to promise for another; to become security for a personvāsvessel, container, dish; vase; utensil, instrumentpraessurety, bondsman
The English word bail itself goes back to Latin baiulus, through bāiulō.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
bail
sponsio; fidejussio, vadimonium (a recognizance or bail to appear in a court of justice): cautio (a security): satisdatio (guarantee, or security for the paformance of a stipulation): to promise bail, vadimonium promittere: he who has made the promise, qui est in vadimonio: to give bail, sponsionem or vadimonium facere; sponsione se obstringere; satisdare: to take bail, satis accipere: to forfeit bail, vadimonium deserere: to demand bail, vadem poscere: of anybody, aliquem vadari.
A bail, or one who gives bail: sponsor; fidejussor; vas, vadia, m; praes. ☞ According to Döderlein, sponsor is a surety in a general sense, who guarantees any thing whatever; whereas vas and praes are sureties in a court of justice; vas, one who gives security for the appearance of one or other party in court; praes, who gives security for a claim of government (Hand-book, p. 203). To give leg bail, clam se subducere: luga se subtrahere.
bail v.
give bail for anybody, sponsorem, praedem esse pro aliquo: spondere, fidem interponere pro aliquo; vadem fieri alicujus sistendi (for his appearance); praedem fieri pro aliquo or alicujus rei; obsidem alicujus rei fieri: vadem se dare alicui pro aliquo.
Accept bail for anybody, vades (praedes) accipere alicujus rei: vadimonio interposito aliquem liberare (of a person who would otherwise be kept in prison).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for bail?
- The usual Latin words for “bail” are spōnsiō, fidēiussiō, vadimōnium; also cautiō, satisdatiō, spōnsor. 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.