English → Latin
“flood” in Latin
ēluviōan overflow, inundationdīluviuma floodinundātiōinundation, an overflowing, flood; a crowd of peopleaquawaterundawave; a throng, multitude; water(s)flūctusa wave, billowēluviēswashing away; discharge; inundation, flooddīluviēsinundation, flood, delugedīluviōto inundate, deluge
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
flood
Inundation, inundatio fluminis: eluvio: diluvium (diluvium, post-Augustan; eluvies, diluvies, diluvio, somewhat poetical). There is a flood, flumen extra ripas diffluit: flumen alveum excedit.
The deluge (Noah’s), eluvio terrarum (Cic., Rep., 6, 21, 23): inundatio terrarum, or from context, inundatio only (Plin. 5, 13, 14; Sen., N.Q., 3, 27, § 1 and 13; 3, 29, 1, where he uses both diluvium and inundatio. Vid: the description of “the flood,” in Sen., N.Q., 3, 27, sqq.).
A body of water, aquae: undae (waves): fluctus (floods).
Flow (opposed to ebb), accessus maris: aestus commutatio (if previous mention has been made of the ebb, Vid: Caes., B.G., 5, 8): aestus maritimi (the agitated motion of the sea in general): flood and ebb, marinorum aestuum accessus et recessus; aestus maritimi accedentes et recedentes: the flood-tide is coming in, aestus ex alto se incitat; mare intumescit; falls, aestus minuit: the flood-tide rises eighty yards above Britain, aestus intumescit octogenis cubitis supra Britanniam. [Vid: TIDE.]
A flood of tears, magna vis lacrimarum: a flood of words, loquacitas perennis profluens (Cic., De Or., 189).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for flood?
- The usual Latin words for “flood” are ēluviō, dīluvium, inundātiō; also aqua, unda, flūctus. 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.