English → Latin
“definite” in Latin
statusstate, status, condition; position, place; rank, statuscōnstituōto place, put, locate, lay; to set up, establish, constitute, found; to build, erect, constructfīniōto finish, terminate; to set, appoint; to limit, bounddēfīniōto bound, set bounds to; to limit; to define, explain, designate by limiting; to terminate, finishcertuscertain; fixed, settled, firm; resolved, determinedpraestōto be preferable, better, coupled with quam; to be outstanding, be exceeding in something, to excel, stand out, be supersententiaa way of thinking, view, opinion, judgement or sentence; a purpose, intention, will (one's thinking in respect to the fupersōnamask; character, personage, role; personality, character, individuality
The English word definite itself goes back to Latin fīnis, through dēfīnītus.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
definite
Fixed, status; constitutus: finitus; definitus (definite or closely defined): certus destinatusque (e.g., opinions, sententiae, Cic.; persons, personae, Quint.): certus (certain, decided). (The words are found in this connection and order.) certus et definitus: praestitus (fixed beforehand): a definite day, dies dictus, constitutus, praestitutus; certus: definite expenses, *expensae statae (opposed to sumptus fortuiti): definite income, reditus stati: to express a definite opinion, *certam sententiam expromere: to have or entertain a definite opinion on no subject whatever, nullam rem aperte judicare.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for definite?
- The usual Latin words for “definite” are status, cōnstituō, fīniō; also dēfīniō, certus, praestō. 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.