English → Latin
“controversy” in Latin
contrōversiaa quarrel, dispute, debate; lawsuit; contradictiondisceptātiōdispute, disputation, debate, discussionsēdōto allay, settle, still, calm, assuage or appease; to end, stop or staydirimōto separate, divide, take apart; to interrupt, disturb, delay; to frustrate, destroydistrahōto draw, pull or drag asunder; tear in pieces, separate forcibly, divide; scatter; to sell separately (in parcels), retacompōnōto arrange, compile, compose, make up, organize, order; to construct, build; to pacify, allay, settle, calm, appease, quoriorto rise, get up; to appear, arise, become visible; to be born, come to exist, originateexsistōto be, exist; to appear, arise, emerge; to become
The English word controversy itself goes back to Latin contrā, through contrōversia.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
controversy
controversia (the point about which a contest takes place, the parties placing themselves in array on different sides): disceptatio (aw amicable discussion, to arrive at what is true or right): to decide or put an end to a controversy, controversiam tollere, sedare, dirimere, distrahere, also componere (Caes.): to judge controversies, controversias dijudicare: to leave a controversy undecided, aliquid in controversia relinquere: a controversy arises, oritur, exsistit, nascitur controversia: beyond all controversy, sine (ulla) controversia: to carry on the controversy till night, controversiam usque ad noctem ducere: to have a controversy with anybody, habere controversiam cum aliquo (de aliqua re): the whole controversy turns on this, de hac re omnis est controversia: I have no controversy with him, mihi cum eo controversiae nihil est: to keep a controversy alive, controversiam alere [Caes., but of a dispute). [OBSERVE, controversari inter vos de aliqua re, to have a controversy about a matter, occurs once in Cic., Fragm.; but that is authority enough.]
Subject of controversy, quaestio: res controversa: causa (the subject proposed, etc.), often circumlocution, quod cadit in controversiam. The controversy is this, agitur de, etc.: to become a subject of controversy, in controversiam venire: to be a subject of controversy, in controversia esse or versari: to make anything a subject of controversy, rem in (dicendi) controversiam vocare; in controversiam adducere or (Caes.) deducere.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for controversy?
- The usual Latin words for “controversy” are contrōversia, disceptātiō, sēdō; also dirimō, distrahō, compōnō. 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.