English → Latin
“engage” in Latin
obligōto bind in obligation, obligate, make liable; to make guilty; to mortgage, pawninvītōto invite, summon; to lure; to challengeimplicōto entangle, entwine; to infold, envelop, encircle; to embraceimpellōto push, drive or strike against something; assail; to drive or push forward, set in motion, urge on, impel; to impel, irecipiōto take back, (i.e., regain possession of something); to recapture; to receive, accept, admit
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
engage
TRANS., obligare: obstringere aliquem (general terms for binding by an engagement): invitare or vocare aliquem (to invite to a party): invitare or excitare aliquem (to engage or challenge to anything; e.g., ad saltandum): implicare, impedire (involve in anything, PROP., and figuratively) aliqua re: illaqueare aliqua re (entangle, figuratively): admiscere aliquem (to mix him up in it): mercede conducere (to hire): impellere (impel him, urge him). To engage anybody in a war, aliquem bello implicare. To be engaged in anything, alicui rei affinem esse (e.g., crimini); participem esse alicujus rei (to be a partner in it; e.g., conjurationis): admisceri ad aliquid (to be mixed up in it; e.g., ad id consilium, Cic.): to be engaged in a business, in negotio versari; negotio implicatum esse: to be very much engaged, occupatissimum esse, multis negotiis (occupationibus) implicitum esse; also valde negotiosum esse: to be so much engaged as not to know what to do, multis occupationibus distineri: to be engaged (to be married) [Vid: BETROTH]: not to be engaged, vacare: vacuum esse: otiosum esse: to be engaged in a lawsuit, lite implicari. To ENGAGE ONE’S SELF, fidem alicui dare (pledge one’s word): obligare se ad praestandum (make one’s self liable for a debt, Jurisconsults).
Bind myself by an engagement to a party, condicere ad cenam (to engage myself to dine, etc.: with anybody by my own self-invitation): *promittere se venturum (to say one will come; i. e., to engage one’s self by accepting an invitation): promittere ad cenam, or promittere ad aliquem (to engage myself to anybody).
To engage a person’s attention, convertere aliquem, or alicujus animum, in or ad se (to draw his attention): occupare cs cogitationes (occupy his thoughts). To engage attention, conspici, conspicuum esse; by anything, aliqua re: to engage anybody in a conversation about anything, sermonem cum aliquo (de aliqua re) instituere; dare se in sermonem alicujus; ordiri or conferre cum aliquo sermonem; venire in colloquium cum aliquo; colloquium cum aliquo facere or serere; sermocinari or colloqui cum aliquo; colloquium comparare cum aliquo (Titin. ap. Non.): to engage a person in secret conversations or conferences, secreta colloquia cum aliquo serere (Liv.).
INTRANS., recipere, or ad, or in se recipere (undertake): promittere, polliceri (promise) (The words are found in this connection and order.) promittere inque se recipere (Ulp., Dig., all with accusative and infinitive): confirmare (to give a solemn assurance, e.g., sese illis regna conciliaturum, confirmat, Caes.). ☞ Recipere should have dative of person to whom one binds one’s self; e.g., recipio vobis me, etc.: the infinitive is usually the future [Vid: under To PROMISE]: se immiscere alicui rei, admisceri ad aliquid (e.g., ad id concilium, Cic.): descendere ad or in aliquid (e.g., ad certamen, in causam): se demittere in aliquid (e.g., in causam): ingredi aliquid or in aliquid: aggredi aliquid or ad aliquid. If he once engages in the affair, si semel in causam descenderit (Liv.). To engage in a conversation, dare se in sermonem; in sermonem ingredi: to engage in the conversation (which others are carrying on), se sermoni intermiscere.
Fight, congredi or concurrere cum aliquo (general terms): signa conferre cum aliquo (of hostile armies): confligere: proelium committere (begin the battle).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for engage?
- The usual Latin words for “engage” are obligō, invītō, implicō; also impellō, recipiō. 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.