LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
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“hope” in Latin

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

hope s.
spes (the proper word, as opposed to fiducia, full confidence; as Sen., Ep., 16, 2, jam de te spem habeo, nondum fiduciam. By metonymy, also for the person on whom one has fixed his hope; e.g., spes reliqua nostra, Cic., Cic., Fam., 14, 4, extr.): opinio (the opinion or conjecture; the hope which considers anything probable because it thinks it possible): exspectatio (expectation; the hope that anything will follow, the following of which one has sufficient reason to assume as likely): hope of anything, spes alicujus rei (e.g., immortalitatis); opinio alicujus rei (e.g., auxiliorum): a disappointed hope, spes ad irritum redacta or ad irritum cadens: there is hope (of a sick person), alicui spes est: I am in hopes that, etc., spero fore, ut, etc.: I entertain some, no hope, about or of anything, spem habeo, despero de re (e.g., de republica): to have the best hopes in respect of anything, aliquid in optima spe ponere: I am in great hopes that, etc., magna spe sum, magna spes me tenet, followed by an accusative and infinitive: I have the greatest hope, maxima in spe sum: I entertain well-founded hope, recte sperare possum (Cic., Fam., 14, 4, 5): I have conceived a hope that, etc., spes mihi injecta est, followed by an accusative and infinitive: I am beginning to entertain a hope that, etc., spes mihi affulget, with accusative and infinitive: a person is influenced by the hope of being able, etc., aliquis spe ducitur se posse, etc.: there is hope of anything; e.g., of peace, in spe pax est: hope still exists, spes subest (Vid: Liv., 1, 41, in.): if there is or shall be hope, si est or erit spes (of anything, alicujus rei; e.g., reditus): if, as I fear, all hope has disappeared, si, ut ego metuo, transactum est (Vid: both, Cic., Fam., 14, 4, 3): if there is no hope, si nihil spei est: very little hope of deliverance exists, spes salutis pertenuis ostenditur: to have before one the hope of, alicujus rei spem propositam habere (Cic., Rab. perd., 5, 15; ☞ in Coecilius, 22, 72): to begin to entertain hopes of anything, in spem alicujus rei ingredi or venire; of obtaining anything, spem impetrandi nancisci: to form or conceive new hope, spem redintegrare: to inspire anybody with hope, aliquem in spem vocare or adducere (the latter also of things): to inspire anybody with the hope of anything, alicujus rei spem alicui afferre, or ostendere, or ostentare; spem alicujus rei alicui offerre (of things); spem alicujus rei praebere: to conceive a hope of anything, spem alicujus rei concipere (e.g., regni): again to form or conceive hope of anything, spem alicujus rei (e.g., consulatus) in partem revocare: to entertain good hopes of anything, aliquid in optima spe ponere: to fill anybody with the greatest hope, aliquem summa spe complere: to fill anybody with hope and courage, aliquem implere spe animoque (both of an occurrence): to excite, raise, awaken hope in anybody, aliquem ad spem excitare or erigere: to confirm a person in his hope, spem alicujus confirmare: to give or raise good hopes of one’s self, dare spem bonae indolis (☞ but bene sperare aliquem jubere, Cic., pr. Deiot., 14, 38, means to tell anybody to hope the best): to have good hopes of anybody, bene sperare de aliquo; bonam spem de aliquo capere or concipere: you look upon public affairs with hope, bonam spem de republica habes: to weaken the hopes of anybody, alicujus spem infringere or debilitare: to take away hope from anybody; to rob or deprive anybody of hope, alicui spem adimere, or auferre, or eripere; alicui spem incidere or praecidere (to cut it away, cut it short): to be deprived or robbed of the hope of anything, spe alicujus rei privari; opinione alicujus rei dejici (Vid: Caes., B.G., 5, 48): all hope of anything is cut off, omnis spes alicujus rei (e.g., reditus) incisa est: hope deceives me, spes fallit, destituit me: should hope deceive me, si destituat spes: to follow an uncertain hope, spem infinitam sequi or persequi: my hope draws near to its accomplishment, venio ad exitum spei: to give up hope, spem deponere, or abjicere or projicere: to give up all hope of anything, desperare de re: all the doctors give up hope of his recovery, omnes medici diffidunt: the doctors have given up all hope of his recovery, a medicis desertus est: to lose all hope of anything, spem alicujus rei perdere; spe alicujus rei dejici: to rest one’s hopes upon a person or thing, spem suam ponere, reponere, constituere in aliquo; spem suam ponere, reponere, defigere or ponere et defigere in aliqua re: to place one’s hopes of anything upon a thing, spem alicujus rei ponere, or positam habere, or collocare in aliqua re: the hope of anything depends upon, etc., spes alicujus rei vertitur in aliqua re (Liv., 37, 26, 2): my whole hope depends upon you; I have placed all my hopes in you, spes omnis sita est in te: I have no hope but in myself, in me omnis spes mihi est: our only hope is a sally, nulla alia nisi in eruptione spes est. A glimpse, gleam, ray of hope [Vid: GLIMPSE]. While there is life, there is hope, aegroto dum anima est, spes esse dicitur: not to have the slightest hope, non (or nec) habere ne spei quidem extremum.
The forlorn hope, *qui primi jubentur, scalis admotis, in moenia evadere, or *qui eo jubentur proficisci, unde nemo se rediturum putat.
hope v.
sperare: To hope confidently, confidere: to hope this, shows boldness; to effect it, courage, hoc spe concipere, audacis animi esse; ad effectum adducere, virtutis: to hope well of anybody, bene sperare de aliquo: not to hope well of anybody, nihil boni sperare de aliquo: to hope every thing from the victory, omnia sperare ex victoria: to cause to hope anything, ostendere aliquid (e.g., futuros fructus; Vid: Cic., Cat. Maj., 19, 17): a thing makes me hope that I shall effect something, aliqua re in spem adducor aliquid faciendi or conficiendi (Vid: Sall., Jug., 37, 3): to bid anybody be of good heart and hope for the best, jubere aliquem bene sperare bonoque esse animo: anything makes me hope that all will turn out well, aliquid me recte sperare jubet: to have ceased to hope anything, desperare de re: to begin to hope that anything will take place; e.g., that peace will be concluded, in spem pacis venire or ingredi: to hope for anything, sperare aliquid; spem habere alicujus rei: to have hopes of obtaining anything, exspectare aliquid (to look forward to it as probable): to hope for anything from anybody, aliquid ab aliquo exspectare (opposed to postulare): I hope (as inserted parenthetically), spero; ut spero; id quod spero (parenthetical).

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for hope?
The usual Latin words for “hope” are spēs, opīniō, exspectātiō; also immortālitās, auxilium, spērō. 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.