English → Latin
“instrumental” in Latin
adiuvōto help, assist; to be useful; to cheerprōsumto be useful or of use, do good, help, benefit, profit; to serve; to be good or beneficialadiūtorhelper, assistant; deputyadiūtrīxassistant, helper, accomplice (female)
The English word instrumental itself goes back to Latin īnstruō, through īnstrūmentālis.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
instrumental
To be instrumental to anybody in anything, adjuvare aliquem or adjutorem (feminine, adjutricem) esse alicui in aliqua re: commodare alicui operam suam ad aliquid (of persons): adjuvare (also of things), vim habere ad aliquid: valere ad aliquid: prodesse or adjuvare ad aliquid (to contribute; of things): to be very instrumental, magnum momentum afferre (of things). Anybody was instrumental to me in anything, alicujus opera aliquid effeci (I accomplished it by his aid); ministerio alicujus aliquid factum est (he being the agent by whom it was actually done); *hac in re usus sum ejus opera; *eum hac in re adjutorem habui; *ejus opera consecutus sum, quod optabam. To be instrumental to anybody in the execution of his plans, *inservire alicujus consiliis perficiendis. INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC, cantus tibiarum nervorumque or nervorum et tibiarum (Cic., N.D., 2, 58, 146; Rosc., Am., 46, 134): symphonia (συμφωνία, the orchestra, Sen., Ep., 12, 8). Instrumental and vocal music, chordarum sonitus et vocis cantus; vocum nervorumque cantus.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for instrumental?
- The usual Latin words for “instrumental” are adiuvō, prōsum, adiūtor; also adiūtrīx. 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.