English → Latin
“elusive” in Latin
dolōsuscrafty, cunning, deceitfulvānusvain, empty, vacant, void; unsubstantial; groundless, baseless, meaningless, pointless, worthless, ineffectual, mindlessspēshope (belief or expectation that something wished for can or will happen); expectation, anticipation; apprehensioneffugiōto flee from, escape; to avoid, evadevītōto avoid, evade; to shun
The English word elusive itself goes back to Latin lūdō, through elusus.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
elusive
The nearest adjectives are fallax: dolosus, etc. (deceptive; of persons or things): vanus (empty, unsubstantial; e.g., spes): Elusive of anything (Pope), effugiens, vitans, etc., aliquid.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for elusive?
- The usual Latin words for “elusive” are dolōsus, vānus, spēs; also effugiō, vītō. 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.