What is the Latin word for bald?

The usual Latin words for “bald” are glaber, calvus, inōrnātus; also incōmptus, incultus, impolītus. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“bald” in Latin

glabersmooth; hairless calvushairless, bald inōrnātusunadorned, undecorated; uncelebrated incōmptusunadorned; inelegant, artless, rude; unkempt, untidy, messy incultusuntilled, uncultivated; neglected; unadorned, unpolished impolītusrough, unpolished exīlissmall, thin, slender; lank, meagre, feeble, inadequate; of the sound l, palatalized abiciōto throw or hurl down or away, cast or push away or aside; to give up, abandon; expose; discard; to humble, degrade, red humilislow, lowly, small, slight; shallow; base, mean, humble, obscure, poor, needy, insignificant, low; short, not tall (of ph vīlischeap, inexpensive; base, vile, mean, worthless, cheap, paltry

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

bald

glaber (ψιλὀς, by nature or by shearing; applies to the parts of the body, but not of the head, where hair is wanting; and to places where plants, trees, etc., should stand): calvus (without hair or feathers by nature, or through old age: with reference to men, it merely applies to the head; with reference to animals, to the whole body): bald in front, praecalvus: bald behind, recalvus (both post-Augustan): a bald head, calvitium (not calvities or capitis levitas): bald places, where nothing grows, glabreta, orum, neuter: to be bald, calvere; calvum esse; glabrere; glabrum esse: to grow bald, calvum fieri; glabrum fieri: to be growing bald, calvescere; glabrescere: to make bald, calvum facere; glabrum facere; glabrare. ☞ According to Döderlein, laevis, levis (λεὶος), means smooth, in opposition to rough and rugged, and gives a pleasant impression of elegance; whereas glaber (γλαφυρός), in opposition to rough, covered with hair, and grown up, and gives an unpleasant impression of deficiency.

Unadorned, inelegant (of style): inornatus: incomtus: incultus: impolitus: exilis.

Mean, worthless: abjectus: humilis: vilis.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for bald?: The usual Latin words for “bald” are glaber, calvus, inōrnātus; also incōmptus, incultus, impolītus. 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.