English → Latin
“critic” in Latin
criticuscritical, decisivecorrēctorcorrector, improver, reformercēnsorcensor; provincial magistrate with similar duties.; a critic, especially a severe one of morals and societysciōto be able to, to know (how to do), understand, to have practical knowledge; to have had sex with, have ever slept withinimīcusenemy, foe (someone who is hostile to, feels hatred towards, opposes the interests of, or intends injury to someone elseobtrectōto disparage, underrate, decry; to thwart
The English word critic itself goes back to Latin criticus.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
critic
A judge of any litterary or artistical object, criticus (Cic., Fam., 9, 10; Quint., 2, 1, 4): judex criticus: *artis criticae studiosus (who takes up criticism as a profession): *corrector (verbal critic, who occupies himself with the emendation of writings, manuscripts, etc.): *censor: *judex doctus (an able judge of litterary productions; e.g., in periodicals, etc.): *librorum censor (before the printing): *judex criticus. *censor litteratus (after the printing): intelligens, or sciens, or peritus artis (also from the context, especially in plur., without artis: a critical judge of artistical objects; also artium judex): an able critic, subtilis (artium) judex et callidus (Hor., Sat., 2, 7, 101); also homo callidus only (Vid: Hor., Sat., 2, 3, 23).
A severe censor, judex iniquus or inimicus: homo minima re ad reprehendendum contentus: obtrectator (who censures or stigmatizes actions from a spirit of envy): a severe critic, Aristarchus (Cic.); plur., Aristarchei (PROP., the disciples of Ἀρίσταρχος, a critic from Alexandria; then IMPROP. = severe critics, Varr., L.L., 8, 34, 119); patruus (with reference to morals, proverbially used; Vid: Heindorf, Hor., Sat., 2, 2, 97); censor castigatorque (Hor., A.P., 174, of an old man, who severely censures the morals, etc., of youth, minorum).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for critic?
- The usual Latin words for “critic” are criticus, corrēctor, cēnsor; also sciō, inimīcus, obtrectō. 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.