What is the Latin word for embrace?

The usual Latin words for “embrace” are amplector, complector, amplexor; also circumplector, comprehendō, quīnque. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“embrace” in Latin

amplectorto surround, encircle or entwine; to embrace, hug, clasp or grasp; to include, comprise, contain complectorto embrace or hug; to encircle, surround, encompass; to comprehend, understand amplexorto embrace, encircle, clasp, cling to; to love, honor, cherish, esteem circumplectorto encompass; to embrace; to surround or encircle comprehendōto lay hold of something on all sides; take or catch hold of, grasp, grip; to seize upon in a hostile manner, lay hold o quīnquefive; 5

The English word embrace itself goes back to Latin bracchium, through *imbracchiāre.

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

embrace

amplecti (as a sign of calm affection and protection, often with only one arm; hence, figuratively, to lay hold of something; opposed to to slighting and disdaining): complecti (to clasp in one’s arms, as a sign of passionate love; figuratively, to take fully in one’s grasp; opposed to half and superficial possession; Döderlein): amplexari (stronger than amplecti). To embrace anybody in a most friendly manner, aliquem amicissime amplecti or complecti; lovingly, aliquem caritate or amanter complecti. To embrace virtue, amplecti virtutem; anybody’s knees, amplecti alicujus genua; an altar, aram amplecti or amplexari: to embrace each other, inter se complecti: we embraced each other, inter nos complexi sumus.

Encircle, complecti (e.g., spatium munitionibus): amplecti (e.g., quantum munimento amplecteretur loci, Livy): circumplecti.

Contain within itself, complecti, comprehendere (of local or mental comprehension): pertinere per or ad aliquid (extend to) capere aliquid, capacem esse alicujus rei (to be able to contain in one’s mind): to embrace in one’s mind, animo or mente complecti; in one’s memory, memoria comprehendere or complecti: all the countries which a kingdom embraces, omnes terrae, per quas regnum pertinet: to embrace the history of 700 years in a single volume, memoriam annorum septingentorum uno libro comprehendere. FIG., To embrace an opportunity, opportunitate or occasione uti: occasionem arripere; very eagerly, occasionem avidissime amplecti: to embrace every opportunity, arripere facultatem aliquid faciendi, quaecunque detur: not to embrace the opportunity, occasioni deesse; occasionem amittere, praetermittere, dimittere. To embrace anybody’s party, ad alicujus partes transire, aliquem sequi: facere cum aliquo: accedere alicui (Tac.; civitates, quae Othoni accesserant). To embrace a resolution, consilium capere or inire (faciendi aliquid; or with ut and infinitive, or de aliqua re). To embrace an opinion, sententiae assentiri, sententiam accipere; anybody’s opinion, alicujus sententiam assensione comprobare (to approve of it); alicujus sententiam sequi (to follow it); ad alicujus sententiam accedere. To induce, persuade, etc., a man to embrace an opinion, aliquem in opinionem or sententiam adducere; aliquem ad sententiam perducere, traducere. To embrace the terms, accedere ad conditiones (Cic.): to embrace means, viam or rationem inire, capere, or sequi.

embrace

amplexus: complexus. SYN. in EMBRACE, v.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for embrace?: The usual Latin words for “embrace” are amplector, complector, amplexor; also circumplector, comprehendō, quīnque. 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.