What is the Latin word for heap?

The usual Latin words for “heap” are acervus, congeriēs, strāgēs; also struō, cumulus, multitūdō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“heap” in Latin

acervusmass, heap, pile, stack, cluster; treasure; consonant cluster (pronounceable group of consonants that occur together)congeriēsheap, pile, mass; collection, accumulation strāgēsoverthrow; confusion; defeat, slaughter, massacre, butchery, carnage struōto place one thing on top of another, to pile up, join together; to compose, construct, build; to ready, prepare, devise cumulusheap, pile; surplus; summit multitūdōA great number; multitude, numerousness.; A great number of people, crowd, mob, throng, multitude.volōto wish, to please; to want; to mean, to intend cōpiasupply, abundance, copiousness, wealth, riches; plenty, fulness, multitude; opportunity, facilities (the means of doing acervōto form a heap, heap or pile up, amass; to accumulate, multiply coacervōto heap or pile up; to amass, collect or gather together; to add, sum or total

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

heap s.

acervus (a heap of things brought together, and laid on one another, usually of the same kind; also of a heap of dead bodies): congeries (a number of things of different kinds brought together and laid one on another without respect to the height; ☞ congestus prae- and post-classical): strages (a number of things hurled upon the ground, especially of corpses, arms, etc.; likeivise without respect of height): strues (a heap of things piled in layers, so far as they may be placed or are placed over each other in a certain order): cumulus (PROP., a heap that comes up to the full measure. With acervus, the difference lies in the quantity; with congeries, in the disorderly lying on each other; with strages, in the lying on the ground; with strues, in the lying in layers; in cumulus, the arched form and the superabundance, as Liv., 3, 34, 6, in hoc immenso aliarum super alias acervatarum legum cumulo): multitudo: vis: copia (general term, multitude, great number, with this difference, multitudo denotes any multitude, without any other idea; vis brings the great quantity prominently forward and copia, the multitude in respect of the use to be made; hence it cannot be used of persons unless they are to be considered as an instrument or means, as armatorum, virorum fortium copia). A confused heap, turba (PROP. of men, but also of animals and things, arborum, negotiorum, inanium verborum, etc.)

heap v.

acervare: coacervare (to make a heap of anything, to heap together or upon one another): aggerare: exaggerare (to heap up, to heap up high; in prose, post-Augustan): cumulare: accumulare (the former, to heap up to the full measure; the latter, to be always adding to a heap; cumulare, also, figuratively = constantly to increase): augere (to increase): addere aliquid alicui rei (to be constantly adding to anything): congerere (figuratively, to bring together or utter as in heaps; e.g., reproaches upon anybody, maledicta in aliquem). To heap crime upon crime, scelus sceleri addere: to heap benefit upon benefit, beneficia priora posterioribus cumulare: to heap victory upon victory, victoriam victoriae addere (after Liv., 1, 3): to heap anything upon anybody, congerere aliquid in aliquem (general term, good and bad things); onerare aliquem aliqua re (with something unpleasant; to load with anything): ornare aliquem aliqua re (with something pleasant and honorable; to adorn, honor, etc., with anything; e.g., posts of honor, etc.).

To heap up, cumulare: acervare (to heap): accumulare: coacervare: construere (to heap up, heap together, accumulate; e.g., money, treasures: one who does this, accumulator opum, Tac., Ann., 3, 30, 1; accumulare, mostly †; once only in Cic., auget, addit, accumulat; in Plin., often of heaping up earth round the roots of trees): aggerare (to form into a heap, bones, ossa). To heap tip money, pecunias coacervare; acervos numorum construere: to heap up riches, opes exaggerare (Phaedrus, 3, prol. 25): to heap up earth round the roots of trees, accumulare terram (Plin.): to heap up earth about a tree, aggerare arbore (Col.); adaggerare (Cato): to be heaped up, cumulari, accumulari; crescere (to increase).

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for heap?: The usual Latin words for “heap” are acervus, congeriēs, strāgēs; also struō, cumulus, multitūdō. 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.