What is the Latin word for despair?

The usual Latin words for “despair” are dēspērātiō, redigō, summa; also dēspērō, salūs. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“despair” in Latin

dēspērātiōhopelessness, despair; desperation; foolhardiness redigōto drive, lead, or bring back; to call in, collect, raise, receive; to reduce to a certain state summatop, summit, highest point or place; the principal or main thing; sum, summary, total dēspērōto have no hope of; to despair of salūssafety; security; health, well-being, welfare; salvation, deliverance

The English word despair itself goes back to Latin spērō, through despero.

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

despair s.

desperatio (= “aegritudo sine ulla rerum exspectatione meliorum,” Cic.): to reduce anybody to despair, aliquem ad desperationem adducere or redigere (the latter, Suet.): to be reduced to despair, ad (summam) desperationem pervenire (Caes.); ad desperationem adduci; omni spe orbatus sum; nulla spes in me reliqua est: when I was in the depths of despair, cum magna desperatione affectus essem (Cic.): to be in despair, in desperatione esse (Front., Strut., 3, 17, 7): to derive courage from despair, a desperatione ira acoendit aliquem (Liv. 31, 17); extrema desperatione in iram stimulari (Tac.): a state of utter despair, omnium rerum desperatio. From or in despair, ad desperationem adductus. The extremity of despair; utter or absolute despair, summa, maxima [☞ not extrema] desperatio; extrema spes (e.g., in extrema spe, Caes., B.G. 2, 27).

despair v.

desperare: saluti or sibi desperare (of one’s own safety): omnem spem abjicere: animum despondere: to despair of anything, desperare de aliqua re, or aliquid, or alicui rei; or with accusative and infinitive (Vid: Herz., Caes., B.G. 3, 12). ☞ If to despair is followed by the participle substantive, desperare will be followed by infinitive: to despair of being able, etc., despero me posse, etc.: it is disgraceful to despair of accomplishing anything that is possible, turpiter desperatur, quicquid effici potest (Quint.): to despair of ever seeing anything again, aliquid se visurum postea desperare: to despair of a sick person’s recovery, aegrum deponere; aegrum or aegroti salutem desperare; all the physicians despair of his recovery, or of him, omnes medici diffidunt: my recovery is despaired of, desperor: his recovery is despaired of, a medicis desertus est: anything is despaired of, desperatur aliquid: to despair of peace, one’s life, desperare pacem, vitam; of the state, de republica (Cic.); rempublicam (Lentul. ap. Cic.); of one’s safety, saluti suae desperare (Cic., Cluent., 25, 69); de salute desperare (Caes.): we must despair of his safety, salus ejus desperanda est.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for despair?: The usual Latin words for “despair” are dēspērātiō, redigō, summa; also dēspērō, salūs. 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.