What is the Latin word for defeat?

The usual Latin words for “defeat” are vincō, superō, disturbō; also discutiō, īnferō, nū̆ptiae. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“defeat” in Latin

vincōto win; to conquer, to defeat, to vanquish; to overpower superōto surmount, rise over, rise above, go over, ascend, overtop, mount; to go over, pass over, surpass, exceed, traverse; t disturbōto disturb; to demolish, destroy discutiōto strike asunder, dash to pieces, shatter; to scatter or disperse, dissipate (especially an enemy); to examine, discuss īnferōto carry, bring, put, place, or throw in, into, to, or upon somewhere or something; insert; to bring forward, introduce,nū̆ptiaewedding, marriage, nuptials clādēsa breaking; destruction, disaster; defeat strāgēsoverthrow; confusion; defeat, slaughter, massacre, butchery, carnage interneciōmassacre, slaughter, carnage; destruction, extermination incommodusinconvenient, unsuitable, unfit, unseasonable; troublesome, disagreeable

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

defeat v.

Conquer (Vid :), vincere; superare; the enemy, hostem fundere fugareque; alicui cladem afferre, or inferre; aliquem prosternere; alicui detrimentum inferre.

To frustrate, ad vanum, or ad irritum, or ad vanum et irritum redigere: disturbare (e.g., a marriage, nuptias): disjicere (e.g., an affair, rem; plans, consilia, Liv.): discutere (e.g., rem, Cic., ; consilia, etc.). (The words are found in this connection and order.) discutere et comprimere: to completely defeat anybody’s plans, conturbare alicui omnes rationes: to defeat anybody’s hopes, spem fallere, ludere, destituere: one’s hopes are defeated, spes ad irritum cadit or redigitur, or by spe excidere; a spe decidere; spe dejici: if my hopes are defeated, si spes destituat: to be defeated, irritum fieri; ad irritum cadere or recidere, or venire: unless some accident had defeated his plans, nisi aliqui casus ejus consilium peremisset: death defeats all one’s hopes and plans, omnem spem atque omnia vitae consilia mors pervertit.

Resist with success; to defeat an attack, impetum ferre (to stand it): impetum (hostium) propulsare (to stand it, and also drive the enemy back).

To defeat or annul, aliquid rescindere (e.g., a will, contract, verdict, etc.); aliquid irritum facere. Vid: ANNUL.

defeat s.

Overthrow, the state of an army completely routed, clades (general term): strages (the defeat of the enemy, when heaps are slain): internecio (a defeat, in which all are slain to a man, no quarter being given): cf., when the Romans speak of a defeat which they themselves have suffered, they employ euphemistic expressions, such as adversa pugna, or adversum proelium (Vid: Liv., 8, 31; 7, 29), or incommodum (Vid: Cic., Lael. 3, 10; Caes. B.G., 1, 3), or detrimentum (Vid: Caes., B.G., 5, 52; 6, 34, etc.), or calamitas (Vid: Cic., Brut., 3, 12. Caes., B.G., 1, 30; Liv., 2, 12): to inflict a defeat, stragem dare, or edere, or facere; on anybody; [Vid: To DEFEAT]: a great defeat, aliquem ingenti caede prosternere: to inflict a complete defeat on anybody, aliquem ad internecionem caedere: to suffer a defeat, cladem pugnae, or merely cladem, or calamitatem, or incommodum, or detrimentum accipere: a complete defeat, ad internecionem caedi, or deleri; ad internecionem venire: if we should suffer a defeat, si adversa pugna evenerit.

Defeat, or complete frustration, frustratio alicujus rei (e.g., legis, Liv., [the making it practically of no effect]; and absolutely. Not Cic.; Planc. ap. Cic., Varr.): deletio; exstinctio; eversio.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for defeat?: The usual Latin words for “defeat” are vincō, superō, disturbō; also discutiō, īnferō, nū̆ptiae. 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.