What is the Latin word for care?

The usual Latin words for “care” are cūra, dīligō, sollicitūdō; also cautiō, circumspectiō, accūrō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“care” in Latin

cūracare, concern, thought; pains, industry, diligence, exertion; anxiety, grief, sorrow dīligōto esteem, prize, love, have regard, to delight in (something); to set apart by choosing, to single (something) out, to sollicitūdōanxiety, worry, concern, uneasiness; watchful concern, solicitude; anxious care or attention, painstakingness cautiōprecaution, caution; stipulation, proviso, exception circumspectiōlooking around; caution, circumspection; foresight accūrōto take care of, do something with care, attend or give attention to dīligenterdiligently, carefully accūrātēcarefully, precisely, exactly labōrōto toil, labor, work; to endeavor, strive; to suffer, be oppressed, be afflicted with dūcōto lead, guide, conduct, lead away; to take; to draw, pull

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

care s.

cura; diligentia; curatio alicujus rei (the care, conduct, etc., of a thing). Care in a business, accuratio in aliqua re facienda. Acting with care, diligens. Made with care, accuratus. With care, accurate: the utmost, diligentissime, accuratissime. Without care, sine cura or diligentia, soluta cura. To bestow care upon a thing, curam adhibere de re or in re, curam impendere roi. To undertake the care of a thing, curationem alicujus rei suscipere. The care of that lies upon me, illud est curationis meae. I have a care of that, illud mihi curae est. To take care of, curare; procurare. Take care of your health, cura ut valeas. I wish you would have a care of that matter, illam rem velim curae habeas. I commit it to your care, mando hoc tuae fidei or tibi. To bestow tite utmost care upon anything, omni cogitatione curaque incumbere in rem; omnes curas et cogitationes conferre in rem.

Concern, anxiety, cura; sollicitudo. To bring anybody care, sollicitare aliquem; curam, sollicitudinem afferre alicui; sollicitum habere aliquem. To be harassed with cares, curis angi: worn, curia absumi or confici. To throw off all cares, curas abjicere. Be without care! noli laborare! bono sis animo! To be in care and anxiety, anxio et sollicito esse animo. To free anybody from care, liberare aliquem cura or sollicitudine; solvere aliquem curis; adimere alicui curas.

The object of care, cura. This is my care, hoc mihi curae est.

Caution, cautio, circumspectio. To have a care, cavere, ne, etc.; videre, ne, etc.: of a thing, cavere aliquid, praecavere ab aliqua re. To act with care, omnia circumspicere. To use all possible care, omne genus cautionis adhibere. To take care for, consulere, prospicere, servire alicui rei; providere aliquid or alicui rei, pfospicere aliquid.

care v.

grieve, sollicitudinem habere, aegritudine affici, se afflictare. To care about a thing, laborare, sollicitum esse de re.

To care for a thing, attend to it, take care of it, regard it, laborare de aliqua re: curare aliquid; curae mihi est aliquid; alicujus rei rationem habere or ducere; aliquid respicere; alicui rei prospicere. Not to care for, negligere, non curare. To care for nothing at all, nihil omnino curare (of the gods): soluto et quieto esse animo (of men). To care about other men’s business, aliena curare. I care not what others think, non cure, quid alii censeant. What care I about that matter? quid mihi cum illa re?

To care for, i. e., regard, love, colere, diligere, magni facere.

I do not care (i. e., I would rather not): non curo (with infinitive).

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for care?: The usual Latin words for “care” are cūra, dīligō, sollicitūdō; also cautiō, circumspectiō, accūrō. 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.