What is the Latin word for bed?

The usual Latin words for “bed” are legō, lectulus, cubīle; also grabātus, sponda, sternō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“bed” in Latin

legōto collect, gather, bring together, catch; to choose, select; to appoint lectulusA small couch or bed; An eating couch cubīlebed; marriage bed; couch grabātuscot, pallet, camp bed; synonym of lectica, stretcher spondabedstead; bed, couch, sofa sternōto spread, stretch out, spread out; to calm, still, moderate; to cover, spread with, scatter with, bestrew with, besprin strāguluscovering altusold, ancient, long gone; high-born, lofty, noble; high-minded, magnanimous, great alveushollow, cavity; hollow, deep vessel, basket, trough, tray; deep cavity, excavation; hold, hull

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

bed

lectus; lectulus (either to deep in or rest on): lectus cubicularis; cubile (a bed to sleep in; torus is seldom used except in poetry): grabatus (a low couch to rest on, either for invalids or students, σκίμπους): lecticula lucubratoria (a couch on which the ancients rested by day, in order to meditate and study): lectus genialis (the marriage bed): sponda (a bedstead); strata or stragula, alto with cubicularia, noun plur. understood (all the parts belonging to a couch or bed): alveus (the bed of a river): to make the bed, lectum sternere: to go to bed, ad lectum transgredi (Suet., Oct., 76); cubitum ire or discedere; dormitum se conferre; quieti se tradere: to get out of bed, surgere, with or without cubitu, or e lectulo: to put to bed, collocare aliquem in cubili: to keep one’s bed, in lecto esse; lecto teneri; lecto affixum esse. I cannot get out of bed for the life of me, prorsum e lectulo surgere nequeo: to be separated from bed and board, cubilibus discerni (Tac., hist., 5, 5, 2): to die on the bed of honor, in acie cadere; egregia morte defungi. PROV., Early to bed and early to rise, etc., mane quod to occeperis negotium, id totum procedit diem (Plaut.: sometimes Aurora Mosis amica).

To be brought to bed, parere; partum edere: to be brought to bed of a son, filium parere.

Bed-chamber, cubiculum dormitorium, or only dormitorium (Plin., 30, 6, 17): cubiculum noctis et somni (Plin., Ep., 2, 17, 22): zotheca; zothecula (a little cabinet to sleep in, Plin., Ep., 2, 17, 21; 5, 6, 38): tie bed-rooms (as a part of the house), dormitorium membrum (Plin.).

Bed-clothes, opertorium lecti (the coverlet: opposed to stragulum, the mattress. Vid: Sen., Ep., 87, 2): lodix; lodicula.

Bed-fellow, lecti socius.

Bed-post, fulcrum lecti.

Bed-ridden, lecto affixus.

Bed-time, tempus dormiendi.

Bed in a garden, area; areola. Hot-bed, area stercore satiata: area vitreis munita (if with frames, Conf. Plin., 19, 5, 23). To lay out in beds, areis distinguere: in areas dividere. A violet-bed, violarium.

An oyster-bed, ostrearium (artificial).

Beds of sulphur, sulphurata (sc. loca).

Layer, Vid.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for bed?: The usual Latin words for “bed” are legō, lectulus, cubīle; also grabātus, sponda, sternō. 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.