LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
English → Latin

“fear” in Latin

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

fear s.
metus (fear, as a thought or apprehension that an evil, however distant it may be at the moment, may befall us; it is based on precaution, deliberation, and circumspection; ☞ Cic., Tusc., 4, 7, 13, and 37, 80; 5, 18, 52. In a philosophical sense, “metus” is the generic term; Vid: Cic., Tusc., 4, 17, 16): timor (fear, as a feeling or anxiety which an approaching evil produces in us; it is especially a mark of weakness and timidity; ☞ Cic., Tusc. 4, 8, 19). (The words are found in this connection and order.) metus ac timor: verecundia (the shrinking from anything which would hurt one’s feeling of self-respect; e.g., of disgrace, turpitudinis): terror (sudden fear, fright, manifesting itself by the paleness of the face, trembling of the whole body, and chattering of the teeth; Vid: Cic., in the passages referred to): pavor (the fear of the coward, or of one who is panic-struck, etc.; Vid: Liv., 6, 12; terrorem equestrem occupatis alio pavore infer; compare Cic., etc., as quoted above): trepidatio (the fear that manifests itself in disquietude, as in running to and fro without object, etc.): horror: formido (denote the highest degree of fear, horror). (The words are found in this connection and order.) horror formidoque: timiditas (timidity): ignavia (the timidity of the pusillanimous man. ☞ “timiditas” may at times be excusable, but “ignavia” never is). A reasonable fear, timor verus: an unreasonable or groundless fear, timor falsus, inanis; metus vanus: the fear of, etc., metus, timor alicujus (or alicujus rei), or ab aliquo (or a re): constant fear of, etc., timor assiduus a, etc.: standing in fear of anything, metuens alicujus rei: a (salutary) fear of royal or consular authority, metus regius or consularis (☞ Liv., 2, 1, in.): the fear of their slaves, terror servilis ne suus cuique domi hostis esset (Liv.): fear respecting one’s domestic affairs, timor domesticus: from fear of punishment, metu poenae: from fear of anybody (i. e., to do anything), alieno metu facere aliquid: for fear the enemy should fall upon them, prae metu, ne hostis irrumperet: full of fear, metu (timore) perterritus, timore perculsus, metu fractus et debilitatus (entirely beside one’s self from fear): without fear, metu vacuus. [Compare FEARLESS.] To be without fear, sine metu (timore) esse; metu vacare: to be or live in fear, in metu (timore) esse; (but for “metuere” and “timere,” used absolutely for “to be in fear,” we find no authority in Latin dictionaries; “timere” is, however, used in that sense by Tac., Agr., 32, 2); metuentem vivere (Vid: Hor., Ep., 1, 16, 66): to be or live in great fear, in magno metu (timore) esse, versari; also pavere; trepidare, especially with metu, formidine (†): to be in fear. about anybody, in metu esse propter aliquem: to be seized with fear respecting anything, perterritum esse metu alicujus rei: I am in great fear about you, praecipuum metum, quod ad te attinet, habeo: to be no longer in fear, omittere, abjicere timorem: to be in fear by anybody’s means, esse in metu propter aliquem (Cic.): to feel something between hope and fear, to be divided between hope and fear, inter spem metumque suspensum esse (Liv. 8, 13); inter spem metumque fluctuare (Liv. 42, 59, 8); inter spem et desperationem haesitare (Curt. 4, 15, 3); dubia spe et suspenso metu esse (after Justinus, 19, 2, 11): to put anybody in fear, or to inspire anybody with fear, metum (timorem, terrorem, pavorem, formidinem) alicui injicere, incutere; metum (timorem, terrorem) alicui afferre, inferre, offerre; aliquem in metum compellere, conjicere: anything produces fear, timor incutitur ex re: anything puts me in fear, facit mihi aliquid timorem: in great fear, aliquid me summo timore afficit: to be overwhelmed, etc., beside one’s self, etc., with fear., magno timore affici, percelli; metu frangi, debilitari, perterreri, exanimari (Cic.); timore perterreri (Caes.): my friends are in great fear about me, maximo de nobis timore affecti sunt amici nostri: anything fills the minds of men with the greatest fear, aliquid animos ad summum timorem traducit: the fear they entertained of the aristocracy was sunk in the greater fear which the Romans inspired, major a Romanis metus timorem a principibus suis vicit: to be seized with fear, metus me invadit; animo metus objicitur; timor me occupat, me incessit; metu, timore affici (Cic.); in timorem pervenire (Caes.); metum capere (Liv.): all were thrown into great fear, timor omnium incessit magnus; timor incessit omnes magnus: they were thrown into great fear on account of or concerning etc., timor magnus alicujus rei incessit: I am suddenly seized with fear, subito me timor occupat; also timore opprimor: to lay aside, throw away, etc., fear, timorem abjicere, omittere (Cic.); metum omittere (Caes.); metum ponere (Plin., Ep.); timorem deponere (Ov.), mittere (Verg.): they had laid aside their fear, timor mentibus discesserat (Sall.): to be tormented by fear, metus me macerat, cruciat (after Cic.): to let fear be visible in all he does, omnia trepidantius timidiusque agere: to entertain an imaginary fear of anything, opinione timere aliquid (Cic.): to recover from one’s fear, ex timore se colligere (Caes.); a metu respirare (Cic.): I cannot speak for fear, mihi lingua metu haeret: to obey the laws from fear, propter metum legibus parere (Cic.): my hair stands on end with fear, formidine horreo: I am trembling with fear, timore perterritus tremo; on account of anything, paveo aliquid, ad aliquid; or, that, etc., ne, etc.: I am almost beside myself with fear, vix sum apud me, ita commotus est animus metu: without fear, Vid: FEARLESS.
fear v.
metuere, timere aliquid. (Compare here, and for the following verbs, SYN. of substantives in FEAR, s.) (The words are found in this connection and order.) metuere ac timere: in metu ponere, habere aliquid (= metuere): extimescere, pertimescere aliquid (stronger terms than timere): vereri aliquem or de re (stands next to metuere, indicating fear, as produced by a sort of awe or dread of the magnitude, importance, etc., of the object feared; hence it is the general term used when a person expresses an opinion, as a fear that something is or is not so; it implying that the speaker will not venture to pronounce a positive opinion, but is afraid, etc.): pavere aliquid or ad aliquid (to feel anxiety, or to be disheartened): horrere aliquid (to dread; to shudder or shrink from anything; e.g., numen divinum). (The words are found in this connection and order.) metuere atque horrere (e.g., capital punishments, supplicia): formidare, reformidare aliquid (to feel a dread of anything; e.g., of death, mortem, etc.): we fear nothing, sine timore sumus: there is no enemy near to be feared, nullus in propinquo est hostium metus: to fear everything or anything from anybody, omnia ex or ab aliquo timere: you have nothing to fear from me, nihil tibi est a me periculi: not to fear anybody or anything, contemnere aliquem or aliquid: to fear death, mortis appropinquatione angi; mortis metu perterritum esse; mortem reformidare: to make anybody fear [Vid: “to put in FEAR”]. He made himself so feared, tantum sui timorem injecit: which or what I do not fear (i. e., which I hope will not happen), id quod non spero (parenthetically used, Vid: Cic., Rosc. Am., 4, 10, Moeb.): I fear (i. e., entertain anxiety, am fearful) for or about anybody or anything, metuo, timeo, alicui (rei) and de aliquo (aliqua re): extimesco, pertimesco de re; vereor alicui rei: I fear extremely, magno timore sum (opposed to bene spero): to fear for one’s life and property, de capite fortunisque extimescere; to begin to fear, ad timorem se convertere. I fear that etc., metuo, timeo, vereor, extimesco, pertimesco; also horreo, ne, etc.; that... not, etc., ne non or ut (but not ut non): I rather fear, or fear a little, begin to fear, that, etc., subtimeo ne, etc.; subvereor, ne, etc.: to make anybody fear, that, etc., aliquem in eum metum adducere, ut pertimescat, ne, etc. (Cic., Mur., 24, init.): they begin to fear that, etc., in timorem perveniunt, ne, etc.: it is to be feared, timendum est, periculum est, ne, etc.: to fear nothing, bono esse animo; bonum habere animum (to be of good courage); securum esse (to believe one’s self safe, without really being so): to have nothing to fear, tutum esse (to be safe in reality, whatever fear may be entertained): do not fear! or, fear nothing! bono sis animo; or bonum habe animum; noli timere or laborare; omitte timorem: to fear God, Deum vereri; Deum vereri et colere: to fear (absolute); Vid: “to be in fear” in FEAR, s.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for fear?
The usual Latin words for “fear” are metus, timor, verēcundia; also terror, pavor, trepidātiō. 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.