English → Latin
“dilemma” in Latin
complexiōcombination, connection, association; dilemma; complexion, constitutiondilēmmaconclusion from two premises; dilemmaangustĭaesingreprehendōto hold back, hold fast, take hold of, seize, catch; to hold fast, check, restrain; retrieve, recover, restore; to blame
The English word dilemma itself goes back to Latin dilēmma.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
dilemma
complexio (defined De Inv., 1, 29; complexio est, in aliqua, utrum concesseris, reprehenditur, ad hunc modum; si improbus est, cur uteris? si probus, cur accusas?): dilemma (as technical term Serv. ad Aen., 2, 675; and 10, 449). I have placed you between the horns of a dilemma, *eo rem deduxi, ut utrum concesseris, reprehendi possit.
State of perplexity, angustiae: to place anybody in a dilemma, aliquem in angustias adducere (of a thing); in angustum compellere: to be brought into a dilemma, in angustias adduci; in angustum venire: to be placed, or to be in a dilemma, in angustiis esse or haerere; nescio quomodo me expediam ex re. Vid: PERPLEXITY.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for dilemma?
- The usual Latin words for “dilemma” are complexiō, dilēmma, angustĭae; also reprehendō. 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.