English → Latin
“game” in Latin
lūdusa school, especially a primary school; game, sport, play; public spectacle, games, stage plays/productionslūdōto play (a game or sport); to frolic, behave playfully; to practice, amuse oneself withlūsiōplay (act of playing)lūdicersportivemūnusa service, office, employment; a burden, duty, obligation; a service, favorvēnātiōhunting, the chase, venery; huntpulpamentumpieces of meat.; a stew or side dish prepared with pieces of meat.gladiātōriusgladiatorialscēnicusOf or pertaining to the stage, theatrical, dramatic, scenic.; Fictitious, pretended; melodramatic.committōto join together, unite, connect, put together; to practise or perpetrate wrong, do injustice; commit a crime; to begin
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
game
ludus (as a pastime, etc.; the proper term for the public “games,” ludi circenses, gladiatorii, scenici: to exhibit games [of this kind], ludos facere or committere; ☞ munus below): lusus (as the state of one who is playing): lusio (act of playing; game considered as going on): ludicrum (a particular kind of game): munus (public game, which it was considered the duty of certain magistrates, especially the aediles, to exhibit for the gratification of the people; especially of shows of gladiators; the proper terms are munus dare, praebere, Cic., edere, Suet.). To invent a new game, novum (sibi) excogitare ludum: boys like games, even when they are laborious, pueri lusionibus etiam laboriosis delectantur. ☞ To play “a game at” fives, dice, etc., is simply pila, tesseris, etc., ludere. Games of hazard, alea, ae (general term).
IMPROPR., To make game of anybody, aliquem or aliquid (sibi) ludibrio habere: aliquem ludere, deludere, or illudere: ludos facere aliquem (comedy, and passive, ludos fieri, to be made game of, Plaut., Pseud., 4, 7, 72, etc.).
Animals taken in the chase, or the flesh of such animals, venatio (Liv., 35, 49, 6; Cels., 5, 26, 30, etc.; Col.): pulpamentum (dressed flesh of hares, wild boars, etc.). When we wondered, how he had procured such an abundance and variety of game at that season, cum miraremur, unde illi eo tempore anni tam multa et varia venatio (Liv.).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for game?
- The usual Latin words for “game” are lūdus, lūdō, lūsiō; also lūdicer, mūnus, vēnātiō. 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.