What is the Latin word for build?

The usual Latin words for “build” are aedificō, cōnstruō, exstruō; also mōlior, excitō, ēdūcō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“build” in Latin

aedificōto build, erect, establish; (figuratively) to "build" a life, to live in a morally good or prudent manner; to create, fr cōnstruōto heap, bring, collect or gather together; to construct, build, fabricate, erect; to connect, construct exstruōto pile, heap or build up; to build up, raise, rear, erect, construct mōliorto strive, endeavor, work at; to put in motion, shake, move; to rouse, bestir excitōto call forth: to rouse, awaken, summon; to bring forth: to raise, build; to bring out: to encourage, revive, excite, st ēdūcōto lead, draw or take out, forth or away; to raise up; erect architectorto build, construct, make; to devise, invent, procure, plan praestruōto build or prepare in advance; to arrange or set up in advance; to block or stop up, to make inaccessible or impassable astruōto build near or to a thing, to erect; to build on, heap; build an additional structure

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

build

aedificare (houses, ships, towns, etc.): strucre, construere, exstruere, moliri: condero (to found): excitare, educere (carry up, erect): architectari (by rules of art): facere. To build before, praestruere. To build to, astruere, adjungere aliquid alicui rei: around, circum struere. To build up a place (cover it with buildings), locum coaedificare, aedificare, inaediticare. To build on the sand, alicujus rei fundamenta tamquam in aqua ponere (Cic., De Finibus, 2, 22, 72): to build a row or rows of houses, domos continuare: to build with freestone, saxo quadrato construere: on another man’s ground, aedificium in alieno exstruere. A wellbuilt man, perhaps homo forma honesta et liberali. Bees build their cells, apes fingunt favos. To build castles in the air, somnia sibi fingere (Vid: Lucr., 1, 104): to build anybody out, alicujus luminibus obstruere or officere (i. e., place an obstacle before his windows): to build a bridge over a river, pontem in fluvio (or flumine) facere, in flumine efficere; amnem ponte jungere; pontem flumini imponere or injicere: over a marsh, paludem pontibus consternere: to build ships, naves sedificare. INTR., aedificare, domum or domos aedificare: (generally) to construct, construere, fingere, fabricare, facere.

To build upon (figuratively), fidere, confidere alicui; confidere, nitor aliqua re.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for build?: The usual Latin words for “build” are aedificō, cōnstruō, exstruō; also mōlior, excitō, ēdūcō. 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.