English → Latin
“curb” in Latin
frēnumbridle, harness, curb, bit; means of guiding or governing; restraint, check, limit; horse, steed, chargercoërcitiōcoercion, restraint, repressioniniciōto throw, cast, hurl or place in, on, into, upon, over or at; to grasp, seize, take hold of, lay one's hands upon; to seimpōnōto place, lay, set, or put on, in, into, over, or upon; to impose upon, put upon, lay upon, inflict upon, fix, put, enjofrēnōto fit a bridle; to curb, restrain, check or brakecoërceōto enclose on all sides, hold together; surround, encompass; to curb, restrain, tame, correct, appease; to restrain, keedomōto tame, break in; to subdue, conquer, vanquishreprimōto repress; to check, prevent or restrainequushorse; steed, charger
The English word curb itself goes back to Latin curvus.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
curb s.
PROP., perhaps *catenula maxillaris; [Vid: BIT].
figuratively, Restraint: frenum: coërcitio. to use the curb, alicui frenos adhibere (opposed to calcaria adhibere, to use the spur) or injicere, or (Curt.) imponere.
curb v.
PROP., for curbing a horse: oream ori (equi) insere (to bit), habenam adducere: frenos adhibere or dare, equo frenos injicere: infrenare equum: frenare (to bridle).
figuratively, to restrain, hold in check: frenare: alicui frenos adhibere or injicere. aliquem vinculo alligare et constringere (Cic.): coërcere or cohibere aliquem: domare: reprimere; to curb one’s passions, etc., refrenare, or coërcere, or comprimere, or continere cupiditates (or libidines); moderari cupiditatibus: frangere cupiditates: cupiditatibus imperare: anybody’s wrath, frenare alicujus furorem: not to curb one’s passions, etc., cupiditatum suarum licentiam non obtinere: to curb the licentiousness of youth, or young men, juventutem refrenare or coercere: uncurbed, effrenatus (both PROP. and figuratively); dissolutus (figuratively only).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for curb?
- The usual Latin words for “curb” are frēnum, coërcitiō, iniciō; also impōnō, frēnō, coërceō. 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.