LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
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“cut” in Latin

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

cut v.
TR., secare (general term, also with a surgical instrument): scalpellum admovere or adhibere alicui rei (with a surgical instrument): scalpere (to shape or frame by cutting, to carve; e.g., wood, stone; Vid: To CARVE): metere: demetere (to cut with the scythe): castrare (to castrate, of men and beasts; then also = to cut off a part): temperare (to give anything a point by cutting, e.g., a pen). To cut out of anything, exsecare aliquid alicui rei: to cut to pieces, secare, consecare: to cut up a tree into boards, arborem in laminas secare: to cut into pieces, minutim or minutatim concidere: to cut to the bone, consecare usque ad ossa: to cut anybody’s throat, jugulum alicui praecidere; jugulare aliquem: to cut anybody for the stone, alicui calculos excidere: to cut one’s self, cultro se vulnerare: the morning air cuts one’s face, matutinum frigus mordet os: to cut wood, lignum caedere (by hewing): to cut stones out of a quarry, lapides ex lapidicina, or merely lapides caedere (which is different from “lapides secare,” i. e., to c. stones to serve as parts for any given work); also saxa de lapidicina eximere (to take them out): to cut poles, palos caedere: to cut (= prune) trees, putare; amputare deputare. Vid: also, under To CUT DOWN: to cut (hedges), tondere; detondere: to cut meat, carnes conscindere: to cut the hair, pilos recidere, tondere: to cut glass, vitrum tornare; vitrum torno terere (on a lathe); vitrum caelare (to cut figures in alto-rilievo into it): to cut the meadows, prata secare or desecare: to cut with an axe, (ascia) dolare: dedolare: edolare (to shape roughly; asciare = to shape or chip away with a trowel, Vid: Vitr. 7, 2, 2: exasciare is only used in the participle exasciatus; Vid: Plaut., Asin., 2, 2, 93, and used tropically for “to prepare’); ascia polire (to make smooth with an axe); circumdolare (to cut or make smooth all round with the axe): to cut wood (to serve as timber), materiari; materiam caedere (Caes. B.G., 7, 73): lignari (if for burning): a forest in which the wood may be cut, silva caedua (opposed to incaedua): to cut and carry (e.g., corn), frumentum in horrea invehere.
Engrave; or cut into, scalpere in aliqua re (e.g., aliquem in gemma); incidere alicui rei: describere in aliqua re (to cut into or write with a sharp instrument on anything); insculpere (with a chisel); exsculpere aliquid alicui rei (exsculpere, if in alto-rilievo: insculpere, if in basso-rilievo).
Of sharp instruments; e.g., the teeth of a saw, etc., incidere (Ov., Met., 8, 245): atterere, stringere (e.g., cutem, the skin; e.g., speaking of a cord, etc.): a knife or instrument that does not cut [Vid: BLUNT].
FIG., To cut a figure in the state, in administratione reipublicae florere; principis personam tueri in civitate: he did not cut a very splendid figure, *minus splendide se gessit.
To cut anybody, ignorare aliquem (i. e., to pretend not to know him, eadem nunc, quom est melius, me, cujus opera est, ignoras mala, Plaut., As., 1, 2, 18): ab amicitia alicujus se removere; amicitiam alicujus dimittere (of giving up his acquaintance): every body cuts you, nemo te agnoscit (Cic.); omnes te oculis fugiunt (Cic.).
To cut (run away), Vid:
To cut capers, exsultare (Nep., Eum. 5, 5, of a horse). [Vid: To CAPER.]
To cut on [Vid: To RUN].
To cut away [Vid: To CUT OFF and ALONG.]
To be cutting one’s teeth, dentire.
cut
INTR., (but only from omission of object).
To be sharp, acutum esse. It is a cutting wind, fngus mordet os: a cutting wind, ventus perfrigidus: ventus nivalis (bringing snow): a cutting witticism, facetiae acerbae.
cut s.
sectio (especially of a surgical incision): ductus falcis (the cut with a vintager’s knife, as act; opposed to ictus falcis, i. e., when used for hewing): ictus (a blow that reaches anything, and thus wounds it, whether with a stick, a cudgel, or a weapon, etc.): incisio: incisura: fissum (e.g., jecoris or jecorum) [Vid: INCISION]: sectura (a cutting, Varr., L.L., 5, 23, § 115; Plin., 37, 8, 33): concisura (the division itself made by a cut, split; Plin. 34, 8, 19): fissura (a cleft): plaga (the stroke that falls upon the person that is hit, either with a weapon or a blunt instrument, as a stick, etc): verber (a cut or strike with a whip, rod, etc.; compare Tac., Ann., 13, 57, 5; “ictu fustium aliisque verberibus ut feras absterrebant.”). In the plur., sometimes (The words are found in this connection and order.) verbera et plagae. [Vid: STRIPE.] A slight cut, plaga levis (i. e., if received): to make a cut at, cum ictu caedere (e.g., with a scythe): at anybody, ictum alicui inferre; plagam alicui inferre, or injicere, or infligere: ictu aliquem vulnerare: plaga aliquem sauciare (to wound with a cut; the former, however, only if a wound is actually inflicted; the laiter, only if blood appears): a cut in the face, cicatrix (i. e., a healed wound): a cut with a sword, gladii ictus: a cut that disfigures the face, stigma, atis, n. (στίγμα, Martisalis, 11, 85, 13, speaking of a cutin the face made by an unskilful barber).
IMPROPR.A sarcastic remark, facetiae acerbae (e.g., omnes acerbis facetiis irridere, to have a cut at everybody in his turn).
A channel (made by art): canalis (general term): specus (if a subterranean one; Vid: Caes. B.G., 3, 49): fistula (if serving as an aqueduct): fossa (as junction of two rivers, etc.): a small cut, canalicula: canaliculus: to make a cut in order to effect a junction (e.g., of a river with the lake); fossam percutere ad committendum flumini lacum (Plin., Ep., 10, 70, 4).
A part (cut off from a whole), segmen or segmentum: resegmen (general term): praesegmen (that which has been cut off in front): particula (a small part, cut off). [Vid: also, PART, FRAGMENT.]
A nearer way, trames: a short cut, trames compendiosus: via proxima et quasi compendiaria (figuratively e.g., ad gloriam, Cic.): rectissima via (fig. e.g., laudis, Cic.,: ☞ semlta is a narrow path that runs along, but distinct from, the main road, and is intended for foot-passengers).
The shape of a garment or dress; fashion observed in its style, habitus vestis: a new cut, habitus novus: a coat or dress of a quite new cut, vestis nova: to wear a dress of a quite new cut, nove vestitum esse (Plaut., Epid., 2, 2, 40).
Print, stamp, *figura ligno incisa (a wood-cut): *pictura linearis or imago per aeneam laminam expressa (if engraved on copper): *lamina cypria or aenea (the plate itself).
Cuts = lots (e.g., to draw cuts). Vid: LOTS.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for cut?
The usual Latin words for “cut” are secō, scalpō, metō; also dēmetō, castrō, temperō. 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.