English → Latin
“language” in Latin
linguathe tongue; a tongue, utterance, language, speechōrātiōspeech, discourse, language; the power of speech; manner or style of speakingdictiōa saying, speaking, speech, talk, oratorysermōa conversation, discussion; a rumor, diction, speech, talk, discourse; a language, manner of speakinglitteraletter (of the alphabet); handwriting; letter, epistlecotīdiānusdaily, everyday, quotidian; ordinary, pedestrianēlēgōto bequeath away (out of the family)
The English word language itself goes back to Latin dingua, through *linguāticum.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
language
Gift of speech, lingua; [Vid: SPEECH].
Style of speaking, ratio dicendi; oratio; dictio; genus dicendi; sermo: ordinary language; the language of everyday life, sermo usitatus or quotidianus; usitatum sermonis genus; verba quotidiana, -orum, nominative plur.: elegant or polite language, sermo urbanus: to use haughty language, superbe loqui; superbo sermone uti.
The diction of a country, lingua; sermo; litterae (so far as it is synonymous with “litterature”): to know a language, linguam scire; linguae scientem esse: to translate into the Latin language, in sermonem Latinum, or simply in Latinum (☞ not in linguam Latinam), convertere: to speak a language, aliqua lingua (☞ not aliquo sermone) loqui or uti: to write a book in a certain language, aliquo sermone (☞ not aliqua lingua) librum conficere: the idiom of a language, proprietas; idioma, -atis (Grammaticus; ☞ not idiotismus, which means, in writers of the Silver Age, “vulgar language”): the use of language, loquendi usus or consuetudo; consuetudo sermonis: a rule of language, lex dicendi: a knowledge of language or languages, linguae (linguarum) scientia: to purify a language, sermonem expurgare; sermonem usitatum emendare; consuetudinem vitiosam et corruptam pura et incorrupta consuetudine emendare: one’s native language, sermo indigena (Vid: Apul., Met., 1, p. 102, 30): sermo patrius (mother tongue). In certain connections lingua is sufficient; e.g., my, your, their language, mea (nostra), tua (vestra), ipsorum lingua; e.g., the inhabitants of the third part of Gaul are called, in the language of their country, Celts; in ours, Gauls, qui tertiam Galliae partem incolunt, ipsorum lingua Celtae, nostra Galli appellantur (Caes., B.G., 1, 1); so, also, sermo noster (Curt., 6, 9, 36).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for language?
- The usual Latin words for “language” are lingua, ōrātiō, dictiō; also sermō, littera, cotīdiānus. 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.