English → Latin
“contribute” in Latin
cōnferōto bring or collect together, gather; unite, join, connect; to bring or place together or near, set in opposition, oppospecūniamoney; wealth; cash, ready money, liquid wealthprōsumto be useful or of use, do good, help, benefit, profit; to serve; to be good or beneficialministrafemale attendant or servant, maid, waitress; female agent, female aide; female accomplice
The English word contribute itself goes back to Latin tribus, through contribūtus.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
contribute
To give money jointly with others, etc., conferre, for any object, ad or in aliquid: pecuniam or stipem conferre: collationem facere (absolutely, to give a contribution): afferre aliquid (Cic.): to contribute for a public purpose, for the common good, etc., in commune, in publicum conferre: to contribute to a feast, symbolam dare (Terentianus, Andr., 1, 1, 61): to contribute according to one’s means, pro re sua or pro facultatibus conferre [ ☞ contribuere pecuniam in Cic., Phil., 14, 14, extr., is now read attribuere, to give an order on the exchequer for payment; in the sense of “contribute,” it is found in the poets of the Augustan age, but not of money; e.g., of rivers contributing their waters, Ov., Mel., 7, 231: of contributing to another some years of one’s own life, Tibullus, 1, 6, 64].
To assist in effecting anything, conferre ad aliquid: vim habere ad aliquid: valere ad aliquid or (stronger) multum valere ad aliquid: prodesse or adjuvare ad aliquid (the latter also with ut): also adjumento esse alicui rei, alicujus rei, or in re adjutorem, or adjutricem esse (general term for affording any sort of help or assistance): alicujus rei or alicui rei esse ministrum or ministram (to supply the means of effecting it, in a bad sense; to assist subordinately in effecting it): to contribute much, plurimum conferre or valere ad; magnum momentum afferre ad aliquid: to contribute more to anything, plus momenti afferre ad aliquid (Cic.): running brooks contribute very much to the beauty of scenery, ad amoenitatem locorum salientes rivi plurimum conferunt (Cic.).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for contribute?
- The usual Latin words for “contribute” are cōnferō, pecūnia, prōsum; also ministra. 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.