What is the Latin word for force?

The usual Latin words for “force” are arcessō, adigō, volō; also vīs, rōbur, nervus. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“force” in Latin

arcessōto send for, call, invite, summon, fetch; to summon or arraign someone before a court of justice; accuse, inform against adigōto drive; to hurl; to exact volōto wish, to please; to want; to mean, to intend vīsstrength; might; vigor; capability (physical)rōbura tough-wooded oak tree; hardness; strength nervusa cord, string, thong or wire; the leather with which shields were covered; a fiber lacertusThe muscular part of the upper arm, including the shoulder, biceps, and triceps.; The arm.; A muscle.pedesterwalking, pedestrian, on foot; of infantry, foot soldiers; prosaic, commonplace corpusbody, person (person when used to mean "human body", e.g., "on one's person"); substance, material (physical, perceptibl animuslife, life force, soul, vitality (that life-giving aspect which animates a thing); conscience, intellect, mind, reason,

The English word force itself goes back to Latin fortis, through fortia.

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

force v.

Compel by force, aliquem vi cogere (☞ cogere alone only when it means “to compel”): to force one to anything, aliquem vi cogere ad aliquid, with infinitive, or with ut and subjunctive; aliquem (per vim) adigere, or aliquem subigere ad aliquid, or with ut and subjunctive; alicui necessitatem imponere or injicere aliquid faciendi: to force one’s self, sibi vim facere; naturae repugnare: to force one’s self to do anything, invitum facere aliquid: the matter cannot be forced, res vi obtineri non potest: to find one’s self forced to, necessario cogi, with an infinitive: (☞ se coactum videre is not Latin).

To storm (a place), Vid:

To break through (e.g., the ranks of the enemy), perrumpere per aliquid (e.g., the centre, per mediam hostium aciem or per medios hostes): to force the passage of a river, per vim flumen transire: to force doors, locks, etc., fores, claustra, etc., effringere: to force a pass, vim per angustias facere.

To force a woman [Vid: To RAVISH].

To ripen anything artificially, aliquid ad maturitatem perducere (Plin., 3, 12, 15, where he is speaking of an artificial method; it may be strengthened by arte, or ante tempus, or non suo tempore, alienis mensibus, Verg., or the like), or perhaps festinare maturitatem alicujus rei (after matuvitas festinata, Quint.): to force fruits for the market, *praecoces fructus esculentae merci praeparare (☞ Col., 11, 3, p. 460, Bipont.): but he who wishes to have his cucumbers forced, sed qui praematurum fructum cucumeris habere volet (Col., 11, 3): in this way you will force them early, sic praecocem fructum habebis: in this way cucumbers were forced for Tiberius Caes. nearly all the year round, hac ratione fere toto anno Tiberio Caesari cucumis praebebatur (Col., 11, 3).

To force away, abripere: abstrahere: avellere (to tear away).

To force back [Vid: To REPULSE].

To force down, fistuca adigere (with an instrument); fistucare.

To force from, extorquere per vim alicui aliquid.

To force into (by beating or hammering), adigere alicui rei or in aliquid (e.g., the wedge into a tree, cuneum arbori; a nail into a beam, clavum in tignnm).

To force on [Vid: URGE ON].

To force open; Vid: above “to force a lock, a door, “etc.

To force out [Vid: To DRIVE OUT]: to force the truth out of anybody, or a confession from anybody, alicui exprimere or extorquere confessionem; exprimere or extorquere, ut fateatur aliquis; cogere aliquem, ut fateatur (the last either with or without compulsion).

To force upon, objici; se offerre (of thoughts, opinions, fear, which press themselves upon us; e.g., to force itself upon one’s mind, se offerre; objici animo); inculcare (of things); obtrudere (of persons and things): to force one’s self upon anybody, se alicui venditare. [Vid: also, To INTRUDE.]

Forced (opposed to natural), arcessitus: you must take care that it does not seem forced, cavendum est, ne arcessitum dictum putetur: forced jokes, frigidi et arcessiti joci (Suet., Claud., 21): a forced interpretation, perhaps interpretatio contorta: to give a forced interpretation of a passage, *vim adhibere alicui loco: forced joy, necessitas gaudendi (opposed to gaudii fides, Plin., Paneg., 23, 6): a forced style, oratio contorta: this may seem forced to somebody, hoc videatur cuipiam durius.

A forced march, magna itinera: by forced marches, magnis itineribus, or quam maximis potest itineribus; magnis diurnis nocturnisque itineribus (e.g., contendere aliquo, Caes.); quantum potest itineribus extentis (Liv.). To make a forced march, festinanter et raptim conficere iter (to march as quickly as possible); iter extendere (with quantum poterat, etc., to make as long a march as possible, Liv.). To make forced marches, iter continuare die ac nocte (to march by day and by night); magnis itineribus se extendere (Caes.; to take very long marches); magnis itineribus aliquo contendere (to any place).

force s.

Strength, vis: vires (general terms): robur (physical strength, corporis; mental, animi): nervi; lacerti (the nerves, muscles, as the seat of the principal strength of man; hence, figuratively = great force; Vid: Dict.). The force of an argument [Vid: COGENCY]; to take by force, vi capere (general term): vi eripere alicui aliquid (to take from anybody); urbem vi or per vim expugnare; vi oppugnando urbem capere (to take by storm): the force of eloquence, eloquentia (in a pregnant sense; Sall., Cat., 5, 4): to use force, vi agere: to effect anything by force, vi manuque conficere aliquid; per vim facere aliquid: to repel force by force, vi vim illatam defendere; vim vi vincere; vim vi expellere: to beat back or to repel by force, arma armis propulsare: with great force, omni vi, summa vi; omni virium contentione: refuted by the force of truth, repulsus veritatis viribus (Phaedrus, 1, 1, 9): compelled by force, ex necessitate; necessitate imposita; necessitate or necessaria re coactus: to compel anybody by force, aliquem per vim adigere: to have recourse to force, vim adhibere: to exert all one’s force, omnes vires or nervos contendere; summa ope niti or eniti; omnibus viribus elaborare: to be in force, ratum esse (to be established, of laws, etc.); exerceri (to be acted upon, of laws, Liv., 4, 51); also, valere, observari: to put a law in force, legem exereere; to lose its binding force, evanescere (opposed to valere): of no force, invalidus; imbecillus (later form, imbecillis; weak). If = invalid, Vid:

Forces, (α) Troops, exercitus terrester or pedester; copiae terrestres or pedestres (all in contradistinction to copiae navales); also, copiae, exercitus only (in contradistinction to classis, Vid: Curt., 3, 1, 13): to possess or to have great forces, copiis pedestribus multum valere; terra multum pollere. (β) Sea or naval force, copiae navales; copiae classiariorum (sea troops, marines); naves (ships); classis maritimaeque res (fleet, and every thing belonging to it, in general): to have great naval forces, permultum valere classe maritimisque rebus; magnam navium facultatem habere: a state that has a considerable naval force, civitas navibus or classi valens; civitas multum mari pollens.

By force of; Vid: “by DINT of.” FORCEDLY, Vid: By FORCE, IN FORCE, and FORCIBLY.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for force?: The usual Latin words for “force” are arcessō, adigō, volō; also vīs, rōbur, nervus. 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.