What is the Latin word for hit?

The usual Latin words for “hit” are ī̆cō, feriō, percutiō; also pulsō, mulcō, collīneō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“hit” in Latin

ī̆cōto hit, strike or smite; to stab or sting; to make a treaty feriōto hit, to strike, to smite, to beat, to knock, injure; to cut, to thrust; to kill by striking, to slay, to give a death percutiōto strike, beat; to make an impression on the mind, touch, please, delight, astonish, shock; to kill pulsōto push, strike, beat, batter, hammer; knock on; pulsate; to urge or drive on, impel, move, agitate, disturb, disquiet; mulcōto beat up, handle roughly; to damage, injure collīneōto direct in a straight line

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

hit v.

icere: ferire: percutere (icere mostly by throwing, e.g., fulmine ictus: ferire by pushing, striking; but also by missiles: percutere, stronger than icere, to strike a man such a blow as shakes him through and through): pulsare (to knock or strike either a person or thing; of a person, to strike him with hand or stick, to wound his honor by a blow): mulcare (to beat a man soundly with fists or clubs). To hit anybody with a stone, aliquem lapide percutere: to be hit by a stone from the wall, saxo de muro ici: to hit the mark, or to “hit” (absolutely), scopum ferire, or ferire only; collineare (e.g., quis est... qui totam diem jaculans non aliquando collineet? Cic.): not to hit the mark, non ferire (of the person); deerrare (of the thing shot or hurled): to hit the bull’s eye, medium ferire: you have hit the right nail on the head, rem acu tetigisti (Plaut., Rud., 5, 2, 19): anybody is hit hard (as remark of another person), hoc habet (gladiatorial term).

To reach com pletely. To hit anything (= to discover it b happy conjecture), aliquid (conjectura) assequi. You have hit it, recte! rem tenes! acu tetigisti (Plaut., Rud., 5, 2, 19). To hit (off) an exact likeness of anything or anybody, veram alicujus or alicujus rei imaginem reddere.

To hit anybody (by one’s words), tangere (e.g., quo pacto Rhodium tetigerim, Tert., Ennius 3, 1, 30). To be hit hard (= to be taken in to a great amount; colloquial), probe tactum esse (Plaut. = to be well taken in). INTRANS., To hit against anything, offendere in aliqua re, or ad aliquid: impingi alicui rei: allidi ad aliquid [SYN. in DASH against]: incurrere in aliquid (to run against; e.g., in columnas, Cic.). To hit against anybody, incidere atque incurrere in aliquem.

To hit upon (= to meet or find accidentally; light upon), incidere in aliquid. To hit upon the right word, aptum vocabulum ponere (in writing).

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for hit?: The usual Latin words for “hit” are ī̆cō, feriō, percutiō; also pulsō, mulcō, collīneō. 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.