English → Latin
“dictate” in Latin
suggerōto carry, bring, put or lay under; to afford, furnish or supply; to suggest, advise, prompt or offerpraescrībōto write in front; to prefix; to order, appoint, direct, command or prescribecōnstituōto place, put, locate, lay; to set up, establish, constitute, found; to build, erect, constructpraeceptumteaching, lesson; precept; order, commandmoneōto warn, to advise; to remind; to exhort, advise, recommendpraescrīptiōpreface, introduction, commencement; pretext, excuse, pretence; precept, order, rule, lawlēxthe legal machinery of a state, the law; a law, statute, bill; the laws regarded as a body, the constitutionrēgularule, bar; ruler (measuring or drawing device)normaa carpenter’s square; a norm, standard (rule, precept)ratiōreason, reasoning, explanation, ground, motive, rationality, rationale, purpose; calculation, account, accounting, recko
The English word dictate itself goes back to Latin dīcō, through dictātus.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
dictate v.
Suggest, suggerere or subjicere alicui (to suggest; to put anything into a person’s mind): monere aliquem aliquid, or monere ut (to warn, etc.; of the heart, of God): alicui injicere (☞ inspirare, poetical and post-Augustan). To dictate to anybody the thought, plan, etc., mentem alicui dare, ut, etc.; in eam mentem aliquem impellere, ut, etc. This thought was dictated to Metellus from above, Metello divinitus hoc venit in mentem: to dictate a plan, subjicere consilium: the course which sorrow dictates, quae dolor subjicit (Liv.): such language as anger and dissimulation dictate, sermo, qualem ira et dissimulatio gignit (Tac., Ann., 2, 57, 3): necessity dictated this law, inopia scripsit hanc legem: to dictate what one is to say or answer, subjicere, quid dicat aliquis; admonere, quid respondeat aliquis. A few words which my feelings dictate, pauca, quae me animus monet (Sall.): cf., dictare = to utter what others are to follow. To “teach,” “command,” is the meaning that is involved in dictator; but no example of it is found in the ante-Augustan age. It is used by Quintilian, etc.; and so reason seems to dictate, et ita videtur ratio dictare (Quint.): which nature dictated, quod natura dictavit (Quint.).
To utter what another is to write down, dietare: to dictate poems to anybody, praescribere carmina alicui (Tib.).
Prescribe, praescribere (e.g., jura civibus; also praescribere ut, ne, etc.): constituere (to fix; e.g., terms, conditiones; a law, legem): imponere alicui (e.g., conditiones). Vid: COMMAND.
dictate s.
praescriptum: praeceptum (express directions how anything is to be made or done): monitus (warning, counsel): praescriptio (the direction or rule which reason, nature, or any authority or obligatory document prescribes; praescriptio naturae, rationis, Cic.): lex: regula: norma (law, rule, etc.). To utter dictates, praecepta dare or tradere alicujus rei or de aliqua re: to observe dictates, praescriptum servare: to transgress or neglect them, praescriptum egredi; praecepta negligere (Plin.).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for dictate?
- The usual Latin words for “dictate” are suggerō, praescrībō, cōnstituō; also praeceptum, moneō, praescrīptiō. 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.