English → Latin
“modest” in Latin
modestusmoderate, calm, restrained, mild; modest, reserved, discreetpudeōto cause shame; to be ashamedverēcundusfeeling shame, shamefaced, bashful, shy, modest; worthy of reverence, venerableprobusgood, serviceable, excellent, superior, able; upright, honest, virtuous, moral, provendēmittōto send or bring down, cause to hang or fall down; drop, flow, shed, sag, let fall; to sink, lower, put down; to cast domoderorto set a measure or bounds to; moderate, mitigate, allay, qualify.; to restrain; to manage, arrange, regulate, rule, guitemperōto divide duly, qualify, temper, moderate; to combine, compound or blend properly; to rule, regulate, govern, manage, arīnsolēnsunusual; contrary to custom or one’s own custom; arrogant, haughty, insolent
The English word modest itself goes back to Latin modestus.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
modest
Bashful, modestus (opposed to immodestus): pudens (full of a sense of shame or honor; opposed to impudens): verecundus (full of a sense of propriety, well-behaved; opposed to superbus, insolens): probus (unassuming; opposed to improbus): demissus (meek; opposed to acerbus). (The words are found in this connection and order.) probus et modestus; probus et demissus: modest in one’s demands, verecundus in postulando: to make a modest use of anything, modeste ac moderate aliqua re uti.
Moderate, moderatus; modestus; temperatus; temperans. SYN. in MODERATE.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for modest?
- The usual Latin words for “modest” are modestus, pudeō, verēcundus; also probus, dēmittō, moderor. 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.