English → Latin
“once” in Latin
semelonce, a single time; once and for allquondamat a certain time, at one time, once, heretofore, formerly; sometimesōlimformerly, in time past, some time ago; once upon a time; one day, once, at some (future) timeitera route; a passagedēnuōanew, afresh, again; a second time, once again, once more, again; anything which is repeated, once more, againsaepeoften, frequently; again
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
once
An adverb of time, one time, semel: once one is one, unitas semel posita unitatem facit: once for all, semel (e.g., ut semel dicam; Vid: Spald., Quint., 5, 13, 3): once more, iterum (of an action repeated): denuo, de novo (anew, afresh): once already, semel jam: once, or at least not often, semel aut non saepe certe: more than once, saepius; plus semel, plus quam semel (☞ Krebs says that plus quam semel, plus semel, do not occur; but they do occur, yet perhaps only in negative sentences; e.g., uterque - non plus quam semel eloquetur, Cic., Off., 3, 16, 51; Lucullus puer apud patrem nunquam lautum convivium vidit, in quo plus semel Graecum vinum daretur, Varr., ap. Plin., 1, 14; id ille non plus quam semel usurpare sustinuit, Velleius, 2, 40; ☞ plus vice simplici is poetical): once and again, semel atque iterum (Caes.); semel iterumque; semel et saepius (Cic.); non semel (i. e., not once only): once a year, semel in anno: not once, non semel; ne semel quidem: at once, repente, subito (suddenly): simul (at the same time; Vid: Liv., 6, 4): una (together): to do two things at once, de eadem fidelia duop parietes dealbare (Curio ap. Cic., Ep., 7, 29, extr.): all at once, omnes simul (all together): omnes universi (all taken together): one at once, singuli, unus post alterum (each one singly, one after the other, with several in succession). At once may also be expressed by the use of distributive numerals; e.g., not more than three at once, non amplius quam terna: once for all, semel: but once, never but once, semel adhuc; semel unquam: once and again, once - then, semel - iterum; semel - deinde.
As an adverb of time, aliquando and (after the particle ne or si) simply quando (at one time, at some time or other, of time past or future which one does not specify more closely; opposed to nunquam): quondam (once, once in time past, the nearer definition of which is of no concern; opposed to nunc; as, that virtue once existed in this state, fuit, fuit ista quondam in hac republica virtus): olim (once, in time past, or in time to come; opposed to nunc, nuper; hence the proper word in fables and narratives): if once, si quando, and simply quando quandoque (in case that once, etc.): cum (then, when; Vid: Cic., Cat., Maj., 10, 34): Cf.,” For once” may sometimes (in entreaties, etc.) be translated by obsecro, quaeso (pray): put yourself for once in my place, fac, quaeso, qui ego sum, esse te: once upon a time, olim (☞ semel as an adverb of time belongs for the most part, according to Bremi, Nep., Att., 15, 2, to the later period).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for once?
- The usual Latin words for “once” are semel, quondam, ōlim; also iter, dēnuō, saepe. 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.