English → Latin
“contrast” in Latin
asperitāsunevenness, roughness; harshness, sharpness, acidity, tartness; severity, fierceness, asperitydīversitāscontradiction; diversity, differencediscrepōto disagree (with), differ or varydissimilitūdōunlikeness, difference, dissimilitudedistantiadistance, remoteness; difference, diversitydifferōto carry different ways, spread, scatter, disperse, separate; to distract, disquiet or disturb someone; confound; to sprmultusmuch; many
The English word contrast itself goes back to Latin stō, through contrāstō.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
contrast
In painting, architecture, etc., asperitas (relief; sharp contrast; opposed to monotonous smoothness; e.g., cum aspectus ejus scenae propter asperitatem eblandiretur omnium visus, Vitr., 7, 5; ut aspectus propter asperitatem intercolumniorum haberet auctoritatem, Id., 3, 3). To form a pleasing contrast, propter asperitatem omnium visus eblandiri, or habere auctoritatem: *grata quadam asperitate placere [Kraft gives from Doer., res inter se pugnantes, contrariae invicem se excipiunt or mire occurrunt, which is not very happy]. A contrast of colours, colorum varietas: dispares colores (Cic., Fin., 2, 3, 10: varietas - proprie quidem in disparibus coloribus dicitur). There is too strong a contrast of colours, colores nimis inter se discrepant.
Striking dissimilitude, diversitas: discrepantia: dissimilitudo: mira quaedam dissimilitudo: distantia (e.g., between characters, morum: pursuits, etc., studiorum). A striking contrast, mira diversitas (e.g., naturae). To form a contrast with anything, alicui rei repugnare; cum aliqua re pugnare, or discrepare, or multum discrepare: a striking contrast, ab aliqua re abhorrere. There is a striking contrast between his actions and his words, facta ejus cum dictis discrepant: there is a strange contrast between such and such things, haec inter se discrepant. Vid: DIFFERENCE.
contrast v.
TR., [Vid. COMPARE, INTR.] differre (multum): discrepare (inter se; cum aliqua re, a aliqua re; also in re, in any respect).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for contrast?
- The usual Latin words for “contrast” are asperitās, dīversitās, discrepō; also dissimilitūdō, distantia, differō. 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.