LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
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“conscience” in Latin

The English word conscience itself goes back to Latin sciō, through conscientia.

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

conscience
conscientia virtutis et vitiorum: conscientia factorum: conscientia animi or mentis (the consciousness of having done right or wrong, for which, in classic prose, conscientia never stands alone, unless the genitive of “virtue” or “guilt” is implied by the context): religio (scruple; also conscientiousness, Vid :): fides (conscientiousness): a good conscience, conscientia bona (Cels., ap., Quint., 2, 15, 32: Quint., 6, 1, 33, and 9, 2, 93; Tac., Agr., 1, 2): conscientia recta (Cic., Alt., 13, 20, 4); but more usually conscientia recte facti, or recte factorum or pulcherrimi facti; conscientia rectae voluntatis; conscientia optimae mentis; mens bene sibi conscia; also bonae mentis fiducia; but seldom conscientia (*Cic., Att., 12, 28, 2): a very good conscience, conscientia optima (Plin., Ep., 1, 12, 3; but conscientia egregia saepe repetiti regni paterni is = “a noble, lofty feeling of the mind, satisfied with itself,” Liv., 29, 33, 9): to have a good conscience, nullius culpae sibi conscium esse; sustentari praeclara, conscientia sua; to console one’s self with a good conscience, optimae mentis conscientia se consolari: a person who has a good conscience, homo integer et bonus (integer vitae scelerisque purus is poetical): a bad conscience, conscientia mala (Sall., Jug., 62, 8: Quint., 12, 1, 3); but more usually conscientia delictorum or peccatorum or maleficiorum or scelerum; also mens male sibi conscia; animus sibi conscius: from the context also conscientia only: to have a bad conscience, conscientia morderi [Vid: REMORSE]: to read a bad conscience in anybody’s face, conscientiae notas in ipso ore alicujus deprehendere: with a good conscience, sine sollicitudine religionis (without scruple, Trajan. ap. Plin., Ep., 10, 62): salva fide; salvo officio; salvis legibus; bona mente or bono animo (but never bona or salva conscientia); also liquido (with perfect certainty, without scruple; e.g., to say, to maintain, to take an oath, dicere, affirmare, jurare; Vid: Ruhnken, Ter., Andr., 4, 3, 14): I swear with a good conscience, ex animi sententia juro: I can take my oath of it with a good conscience, liquet mihi dejerare (Ter., Eun., 2, 3, 40); or liquido possum jurare: as far as you can with a good conscience, quantum fides tua patietur: my conscience does not allow me to pass over in silence, that etc., illud me tacere conscientia mea non patitur, quod etc. (Vid: Liv., 5, 25, 6): I can not do this with a good conscience, hoc sine scelere fieri nullo pacto potest: to attribute anything to an evil conscience, aliquid in conscientiam ducere (Vid: Sall., Jug., 85, 26): anybody feels the stings of conscience, conscientia mordetur aliquis; conscientia animi stimulat or terret aliquem; angore conscientiae agitatur; aliquem conscientiae maleficiorum suorum stimulant: the voice of conscience is powerful, magna est vis conscientiae: the stings of conscience, angor conscientiae fraudisque cruciatus: a man without a conscience. homo sine ulla religione ac fide: to have no conscience, sine ulla religione ac fide esse; nihil religioni sibi habere (after Cic., De Div., 1, 35, in.). To make a conscience of not doing (or not to do) anything [OBS. The phrase “to make a conscience” appears to be used with some difference of meaning; thus, “we must make a conscientious in keeping the just laws of superiors” (Jer. Taylor) = “we must observe them religiously.” But L’Estrange uses, “to make a conscientious of betraying for gold,” in the sense of not betraying for gold from a conscientious principle of duty. Locke says, “we must make conscientious not to mislead children.” Hence we must consider whether the meaning of “making a conscientious” is the making it a point of conscientious to do the thing in question, or not to do it.] (i. e., my conscientious scruples prevent my doing it), religio mihi est; subit animum religio, both with infinitive: to make no conscience of doing anything (e.g., to kill anybody, etc.), religio ei non est, with following quo minus; non habet religioni, with infinitive: the people made a conscience, res illa in religionem venit populo: I make no conscience of doing it (feel no scruple about it), nulla mihi religio est (Hor., Sat., 1, 9, 70): I will take that on my conscience, culpam in me transferas or transferatis (after Ter., Andria, 2, 3, 5): Upon my conscience, I don’t know, ne vivam, si scio: for upon my conscience, I did think so, nam, ita vivam, putavi (hoc, illud): I ask you on your conscience, have you a wife? ex tui animi sententia tu uxorem habes? (Vid: Cic., De Or., 2, 64, quite at the end). Cases of conscience [Vid: under CASE (end)].
Consciousness, Vid.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for conscience?
The usual Latin words for “conscience” are mēns, religiō, fidēs. 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.