English → Latin
“deft” in Latin
habilisable to have/possess/maintain; having sufficient ability or power to do or to conduct; skillful; suitable, apt, fit, proaptussuitable, adapted; ready; apt, properbellusbeautiful, pretty, handsome; pleasant, agreeable, charmingvenustuscharming, friendly, lovely, pleasing, comely, beautiful, elegant; artistic, elegant; affable, elegant, charmingēlegānsfine, elegant, handsome; tasteful; fastidious, criticalhilarischeerful, lively, light-hearted, merry, jovialalacerlively; brisk; quick; eager; active; peppy; excited; glad; happy; cheerful
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
deft
Apt at anything, habilis, aptus, idoneus ad aliquid (sometimes, but seldom, with dative; Vid: Grotef., § 197; Zumpt., § 409).
Elegant in mien and gesture, bellus: venustus; elegans.
With alacrity, hilaris; (less commonly) hilarus; alacer.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for deft?
- The usual Latin words for “deft” are habilis, aptus, bellus; also venustus, ēlegāns, hilaris. 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.