English → Latin
“drive” in Latin
agōto act, to behave; to do; to make (something that does not continue to exist after the maker stops)pellōto push, drive, hurl, impel, propel; expel, banish, eject, thrust out; to strike, set in motion; to rout, put to flight,prōpellōto drive, push or urge forth or forward; hurl, propel; to hurl or cast down, overthrow, expel; to drive on, impel, incittrūdōto thrust, push or shoveversōto turn often, keep turning, handle, whirl about, turn over; to treat, manage; to pervert, alter, changeimpellōto push, drive or strike against something; assail; to drive or push forward, set in motion, urge on, impel; to impel, iincitōto set in rapid motion, hasten, urge forwards, speed up, accelerate, quicken; to cause to grow larger; augment, increasepersequorto follow perseveringly, continue to follow; search through; pursue; to pursue, chase, hunt; to avenge, take vengeance uprōsequorto escort, accompany; to pursue, follow; to describe in detailcōnsectorto seek or pursue, chase; to hunt down or seek out (in order to destroy); to persecute
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
drive
To put in motion by pushing, by blows, etc., agere (general term of living creatures and inanimate objects): pellere (so to excite a body by pushes, blows, etc., that it moves on of itself; to drive on things animate or inanimate; to move by its own weight, by pushing it forward; also to chase, of animate beings): propellere (to drive along before one, of living beings and things e.g., the ship, navem [spoken of the wind]): trudere (to propel or move anything slowly on from behind by beating or pushing): versare (to move with a circular motion or direction; a top, turbinem; hoop, etc., and of a person driven about, pulsare versareque Dareta, Verg.). To drive to any place, propellere in aliquid (e.g., cattle in the fields, pecus agere pastum; pecus propellere in pabulum).
To drive anything AWAY, FROM, OFF, abigere ab or ex aliqua re (from any place; also furtively; e.g., cattle, pecus); exigere aliqua re or ex aliqua re (to chase away, out of; e.g., domo; out of the republic, e civitate: the enemy from the field, hostem a campo), pellere aliqua re, ex or de aliqua re (e.g., out of the country, patria, foro, e foro) expellere aliquem aliqua re or ex aliqua re (e.g., domo; ex urbe; civitate; ex republica; possessionibus; a patria): depellere aliquem aliqua re and de aliqua re (to chase, Vid :); dejicere ex or de, etc. (e.g., out of a fortified place, ex castello; out or from anybody’s estates, de fundo); exturbare ex aliqua re (headlong; e.g., the enemy out of the breech, hostem ex ruinis muri): submovere (to make anybody get out of the way). To drive away care, curas pellere; tristitiam ex animo pellere; by wine, curas vino: to drive away the birds, gnats, etc., volucres, muscas abigere.
To drive ALONG, promovere.
To drive BACK, reprimere: repellere: rejicere. To drive back the enemy, hostes rejicere or fugare; impetum hostium propulsare.
To drive FROM, [Vid: To drive OUT or AWAY.]
To drive INTO, intro cogere (e.g., oves): intra aliquem locum compellere (to drive to one spot, of men, etc.): agere in aliquid (e.g., cattle into the stalls, pecus in stabulum): adigere in aliquid or alicui rei (e.g., a nail into a beam, clavum in tignum: a wedge into a tree, cuneum arbori; Vid: “to drive with a hammer” below).
To drive OFF, depellere: repellere: propellere: propulsare: [Vid: drive AWAY, above.]
To urge, compel, impellere or incitare; (The words are found in this connection and order.) impellere atque incitare; ad aliquid (e.g., ad bellum): urgere aliquem, ut, etc.; instare alicui, ut, etc. (to urge anybody to anything or to do anything); etiam atque etiam instare atque urgere (stronger): anybody is driven to anything, necessitas cogit or urget aliquem, necessitas adducit aliquem, ut aliquid faciat (drives him to do so and so).
To drive or carry on one’s trade, facere mercaturam. [Vid: also To CARRY ON.]
To press to a conclusion, persequi (with perseverance, in a good and bad sense); prosequi (usually in a good sense, to continue or persevere in anything); consectari (indefatigably); urgere (to push on with zeal); exsequi (to carry on, to bring to end): aliquid longius persequi (to drive anything further). I will drive my argument further, pergamus ad ea, quae restant.
To drive IN (with a hammer, or other instrument), figere; in anything, alicui rei or in rem; infigere; in anything, alicui rei or in rem (to drive into); defigere; in anything, alicui rei or in re (to drive in perpendicularly); adigere (in anything; alicui rei or in rem, to drive into): to drive in a nail, clavum figere or defigere; into a tree, clavum adigere in arborem. To drive a nail home, clavum pangere: clavum quanto maximo possum mallei ictu adigere (after Liv., 27, 49): to drive in posts, stipes demittere (to let in perpendicularly): sublicas agere (to drive in piles).
To drive anybody mad, in rabiem agere; ad insanitatem adigere; efferare: you drive me mad, or I shall be driven mad, vix mei compos sum.
To drive a carriage, jumenta agere (of the coachman, in general): curriculum regere: curriculo insistere (to take the reins; also for pleasure): aurigare (in a race; Suet., Ner., 24, of the leader): vecturam facere (of a wagoner, in general).
drive
INTR. In a carriage, vehi or invehi curru: vein in rheda: to drive to the forum, carpento in forum invehi.
To rush against with violence, etc., occursare alicui: impingere in aliquid: volare (to fly; of sparks, etc.): to drive against anybody’s face, *in alicujus adversum os ferri: the rain drives against anybody’s face, imber in os fertur.
Of a vessel; to let a skip drive before the wind, convertere navem in eam partem, quo ventus fert (Caes.); fiatu ferente dare vela (Quint.); quocumque feramur, dare vela (Cic.; but figuratively).
To drive at, or let drive at anybody. [Vid: To ATTACK, SET UPON.]
To drive at (= have for one’s drift). [Vid: DRIFT.] Just listen, what I am driving at, audi, quo rem deducam (Hor., Sat., 1, 1, 14): that’s precisely what I am driving at, istuc ibam (comically). I did not know what you were driving at, nesciebam, quorsum tu ires (comically, Ruhnken. Ter., Eun., 1, 2, 75).
drive s.
gestatio (an airing in a carriage for the sake of exercise): vectatio (the act of going in a carriage; Vid: Bremi, Suet., Claud., 33). to take a drive., carpento vectari; e.g., through the town, per urbem (Liv., 34, 3, extr.).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for drive?
- The usual Latin words for “drive” are agō, pellō, prōpellō; also trūdō, versō, impellō. 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.