What is the Latin word for cloud?

The usual Latin words for “cloud” are nūbēs, vēna, cōpia; also multitūdō, dēcidō, nūbilō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“cloud” in Latin

nūbēscloud; swarm, multitude; phantom, something insubstantial vēnaa vein, blood vessel; a watercourse; a vein of metals cōpiasupply, abundance, copiousness, wealth, riches; plenty, fulness, multitude; opportunity, facilities (the means of doing multitūdōA great number; multitude, numerousness.; A great number of people, crowd, mob, throng, multitude.dēcidōto fall down or off; collapse; drop, hang down; to die, fall dead; to sink, perish nūbilōto be or become cloudy or overcast; to become clouded or opaque; to overshadow, to obscure, to darken, to adumbrate

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

cloud

nubes (also, IMPROP., e.g., of dust, nubes pulveris; of locusts, nubes locustarum). To fall from the clouds, de caelo delabi; ex astris delabi or decidere. The sky was covered with thick (dark, dense) clouds, caelum erat grave sordidis nubibus: to see as through a cloud, cernere quasi per caliginem: to form (or form themselves into) a cloud, in nubem cogi. PROV., he seemed (to himself) to have fallen from the clouds, *in alium quendam orbem delatus sibi videbatur. FIG., to throw a cloud over anything, caliginem alicui rei (e.g., alicujus animo) offundere.

In precious stones, etc., nubes: vena.

Great multitude (magna) copia: multitudo. OBS., nubes must not be used unless the image of a cloud is preserved; as in nubes locustarum. since they darken the air like a cloud; of birds, volucrum; of infantry and cavalry, equitum peditumque.

cloud

v, nubibus obducere. The sky is clouded over, caelum nubibus obducitur; nubilatur: nubilare coepit. FIG., anybody’s brow is clouded over, oculi alicujus tristitiae quuddam nubilum ducunt (Quint., 11, 3, 75). A clouded brow, frons contracta (wrinkled forehead): vultus tristis: frons nubila (sad, serious look; the latter Martialis, 2, 11.)

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for cloud?: The usual Latin words for “cloud” are nūbēs, vēna, cōpia; also multitūdō, dēcidō, nūbilō. 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.