English → Latin
“philosopher” in Latin
philosophusphilosophicalsapiōto be wise, or sensible, discreet, prudent; to have taste, have flavour, be intelligent, show good sense, or know, under
The English word philosopher itself goes back to Latin philosophus.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
philosopher s.
philosophus (φιλόσοφος or by circumlocution sapientiae studiosus, philosophiae deditus, qui rerum cognitione, doctrinaque delectatur; homo doctus, or plur., docti, is often used by Cic., in this sense, when the context determines the meaning; philosophiae professor, sapientiae doctor (a professor of philosophy, post-Augustan): a true philosopher, sapiens: a speculative philosopher, *qui in rerum contemplatione studia ponit: a moral philosopher, *qui de vita ac moribus rebusque bonis et malis quaerit: a very learned philosopher, doctissimus in disputando: to give one’s self out for a philosopher, philosophiam profiteri.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for philosopher?
- The usual Latin words for “philosopher” are philosophus, sapiō. 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.