English → Latin
“decree” in Latin
ēdīcōto declare, publish, establish, announce; to appoint, decree, ordain something; to make known (of a decree), proclaim; escīscōto seek to know; ask, search, inquire, question; to accept, approve, assent to, vote for; appoint, enact, decree, ordainsanciōto render, make or appoint as sacred or inviolable by a religious act, sanctify (make holy); to devote, consecrate, dedidēcernōto decide, decide upon, settle, determine (especially something disputed or doubtful); to pronounce a decision concernincēnseōto give an opinion; to think, suppose or judge; to recommend, advisecaveōto take precautions, beware, take care; to guard against, attend to a thing for a person, provide; to guard against, to cōnstituōto place, put, locate, lay; to set up, establish, constitute, found; to build, erect, constructpraescrībōto write in front; to prefix; to order, appoint, direct, command or prescribecōnsulōto consult, seek counsel from, take counsel from; to deliberate; to reflect upon, deliberate over, think (something) ovelēxthe legal machinery of a state, the law; a law, statute, bill; the laws regarded as a body, the constitution
The English word decree itself goes back to Latin dēcrētum.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
decree v.
edicere (to issue a decree; of magistrates and persons in authority): sciscere (to decree by vote, especially of the people in a free state). (The words are found in this connection and order.) sciscere jubereque (the former rather of the plebs; the latter of the whole assembled people): sancire (to decree or ratify by a decree, of law givers, the people, etc.): decernere (to decide after weighing the reasons, etc.): censere: placet alicui (to be of opinion; to pronounce that the thing should be so; of the Senate): cavere (to decree that for the future something should [if followed by ut], or should not [if followed by ne], be observed, or take place): constituere (general term for to determine or fix): praescribere (to decree or lay down beforehand, as a direction and rule of conduct): to decree on penalty of death, capite sancire. There is a law which decrees that, etc., lege cautum est, ut, etc.; that not, ne; in aliqua lege cavetur or cautum est, ut (ne), etc. There was also a public edict which decreed that, etc., decretum etiam publicum exstabat, quo cavebatur, ut: it is not decreed (by law) that - not, etc, nulla lex sancit, quo minus.
To fix or appoint by a decree, etc., decernere; anything to anybody, aliquid alicui: constituere (to fix). To decree a triumph, etc., to anybody, decernere alicui triumphum, honores, pecuniam: to decree a punishment, constituere alicui poenam: to decree a fine, dicere alicui multam.
decree s.
decretum (the decree of a magistrate or superior court, of the Senate, consul, praetor, etc.): edictum (the regularly-published decree of a sovereign power or superior magistrate): consultum (the conclusion come to by a deliberative body; hence, also, the decree in which such resolution is embodied). (The words are found in this connection and order.) consultum et decretum: lex (law): praescriptum (laid down beforehand as a direction and rule). A decree of the Senate, senatus auctoritas (so far as a decision of theirs has weight from the authority of their body and position in the state; hence, of a decree either not yet sanctioned by the tribunes, or formally opposed by the interposition of their veto); senatus or patrum consultum (with reference to the deliberation that has preceded its adoption, and so far as it is formally sanctioned by the tribunes, and has the force of a law): senatus or patrum decretum (a resolution of the Senate either empowering magistrates to do any important act, or confirming the acts of the assembly of the people and giving them the force of laws). A decree of the people, populiscitum (adopted by the assembly of the people legally convened): plebiscitum (so far as proposed to the plebs [as opposed to the Senate] by a presiding magistrate, and adopted by a majority of votes): populi jussum (as far as the people had the right to require the Senate to confirm a decree of theirs, after which it had full legal validity). (The words are found in this connection and order.) populi scitum jussumque: by a decree of the sovereign, jussu regis or principis: legal decrees, praescripta legum; quae legibus sancta sunt: to issice a decree, edictum proponere.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for decree?
- The usual Latin words for “decree” are ēdīcō, scīscō, sanciō; also dēcernō, cēnseō, caveō. 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.