English → Latin
“diffidence” in Latin
modestiamoderation, sophrosyne; modestypudorA sense of shame; shamefacedness, shyness; ignominy, disgrace; humiliation; Modesty, decency, propriety, scrupulousness,verēcundiaknowing one's place, regarded as a virtue; coyness, modesty; shyness, bashfulness; shame, awe
The English word diffidence itself goes back to Latin fīdō, through diffīdentia.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
diffidence
modestia: pudor: verecundia [SYN. in MODESTY]. ☞ Diffidentia (mostly with alicujus rei) opposed to fidentia, is “distrust,” “want of confidence” in a person or thing; in Cic., and even in Justin [1, 8, 10], it is used only for want of confidence in one’s self, or one’s own luck.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for diffidence?
- The usual Latin words for “diffidence” are modestia, pudor, verēcundia. 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.