English → Latin
“imperfect” in Latin
mancusmaimed, crippled, handicapped, infirm; defective, imperfectimperfectusunfinished, incomplete; imperfect; imperfectvitiōsusfull of faults or defects; faulty, defective, bad, corrupt; morally faulty, wicked, depraved, viciousadumbrōto bring a shadow over something, cast a shadow on, shade or overshadow something, cover, screen; to represent an objectopīniōopinion, conjecture, imagination, fancy, belief, expectation; reputation, esteem; report, rumorintellegentiaintelligence, the power of discernment; understanding, knowledge; taste, skill, the capacity to be a connoisseur
The English word imperfect itself goes back to Latin perfectus, through imperfectus.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
imperfect
mancus: non integer (no longer or not yet complete): non perfectus (not completed): imperfectus (Quint.; especially in the poets = “not completed;” in Sen. = “imperfect”): inchoatus (begun only, and not carried on to a more perfect state). (The words are found in this connection and order.) mancus quodammodo et inchoatus (Cic., Off., 1, 43, 173): suis numeris non absolutus (not perfect in all its parts and proportions): non commodus (not good of its kind): vitiosus (faulty): adumbratus (but lightly sketched; not having received full body or substance; opinio, intelligentia): in quo multa desiderantur. To leave anything imperfect, inchoatum relinquere aliquid. An imperfect book, *liber, in quo plagulae quaedam desunt: imperfect manner [Vid: IMPERFECTLY].
The imperfect (in grammar), tempus imperfectum.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for imperfect?
- The usual Latin words for “imperfect” are mancus, imperfectus, vitiōsus; also adumbrō, opīniō, intellegentia. 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.