English → Latin
“desultory” in Latin
levislight, not heavy; easy to digest; quick, swift, fleet, nimble, rapidmōbilismovable, loose; pliant, flexible; fickle, inconstantincōnstānschangeable; inconstant; inconsistent; fickle; capriciousvolāticuswinged, flying; flighty, inconstantīnstabilisunsteady, unstable, shaky; inconstant, changeable, fickletemerāriusaccidental; casual, rash, heedless; reckless
The English word desultory itself goes back to Latin dē, through dēsultōrius.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
desultory
levis: mobilis: inconstans: volaticus. (The words are found in this connection and order.) volaticus ac levis. A person of a desultory mind, homo volaticus ac sui similis, modo huc, modo illuc (☞ Cic., Att., 13, 25, 3): a desultory perusal, *vaga, instabilis, temeraria, improvida ac caeca, volatica lectio (Krebs). ☞ If desultorius be used, it must on no account stand without a quasi. It means after the manner of a desultor in the circus [Vid: LEX]. In a desultory manner [Vid: DESULTORILY]. A desultory conversation, sermo varius; *sermo multa leviter attingens.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for desultory?
- The usual Latin words for “desultory” are levis, mōbilis, incōnstāns; also volāticus, īnstabilis, temerārius. 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.