LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
English → Latin

“present” in Latin

The English word present itself goes back to Latin sum, through praesens.

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

present adj.
Not past or future, qui nunc est (now existing, living, etc.: ☞ never hodiernus, = of the present day, in the strictest sense): praesens (at the present moment; opposed to that which occurs at another time. Most frequently, however, by hic, when = “this one,” where praesens would be wrong): the present day, hodiernus dies; hic dies: men of the present day, homines qui nunc sunt or vivunt; hujus or nostrae aetatis homines: the present times, haec tempora: the present age, haec or nostra aetas: up to the present day or moment, ad or in hodiernum diem (in the strictest sense of “today”): usque ad hunc diem (even up to the present time): usque ad hoc tempus: adhuc: usque adhuc (up to the present time). At the present day, hodie: hoc tempore, his temporibus: nunc (general terms; opposed to tunc). Even at the present day, or even up to the present day, hodie: hodie quoque: and even (or up) to the present day, et hodie; hodieque (in hodieque, Cic., [e.g., Verro, 5, 25, 64, etc.] the que = et, “and also.” The form does not occur for hodie or hodie quoque: ☞ hodiedum is quite barbarous): the present, praesentia, -ium (the time now present): instantia, -ium (the time close at hand; opposed to venientia): to enjoy the present, and not think of the future, praesentibus frui, nec in longius consultare (Tac., Hist., 2, 95, 3): to have a correct judgement respecting the present, de instantibus verissime judicare (Nep., Them., 1, 4): at present, hoc tempore, in praesentia (at this moment): in hoc tempore, in praesenti (under existing circumstances): in praesens (or now and the time immediately following): ☞ impraesentiarum, depraesentiarum, in praesentiam and ad praesens are not classical: impraesentiarum stands however, Nep., Hann., 6; Auct., Her., 2, 11, 16 [otherwise in praesenti], etc. Vid: Handrianus, Turs., 3, p. 234).
Not absent, praesens; qui adest: those present, qui adsunt; spectatores (spectators): auditores, audientes (hearers): corona (hearers round a speaker); a great number present, frequentia; frequentes: to be present, adesse (opposed to abesse): praesentem esse or adesse; praesto esse or adesse: coram adesse (with the notion of assistance, if necessary): to be present in an assembly, in concione stare: to be present, ut anything, adesse, interesse, with a dative of that at which a person is or was present (adesse, general term, to be present as spectator, helper, etc.; interesse, to be present as a participator in anything: thus, at a sacrifice, rebus divinis interesse, of the priest sacris adesse, of the people; ☞ Herzog, Caes., B.G., 6, 13).
present v.
To bring to view, sistere; in conspectum dare, in conspectu ponere, ante oculos ponere, proponere, exponere (to set, or place before the eyes): ostendere, ostentare (to show, the latter especially to excite attention): to present itself to view, occurrere, objici (of things; especially accidentally): se sistere; se dare in conspectum, se repraesentare, se ostendere, offerre (of persons): apparere, manifestum esse (to be apparent).
To make a present, alicui donum (munus) dare; aliquem dono donare; alicui donum impertiri; munus alicui deferre: to make one a trifling present, munusculum alicui concinnare (Trebon., ap. Cic., Ep., 12, 16, 3): to give one anything as a present, dare alicui aliquid dono or muneri; alicui aliquid or aliquem aliqua re donare.
To offer, offerre, praebere (general terms): circumferre (to carry round and offer; e.g., dishes of food).
To introduce anybody to another [Vid: INTRODUCE].
To present arms, *telum (tela) erigere honoris causa; in honor of or to anybody, *telum erigere alicui.
present s.
donum (any voluntary gift, especially in order to please, δῶρον): munus (a present which one feels bound to make, especially as a token of affection or favor, γέρας): praemium (a reward of honor, with respect to the desert of the receiver, ἆθλον): jactura (a present for some definite purpose, such as involves a sacrifice on the part of the giver; Vid: commentators on Caes., B.G., 6, 12; Matthiae, Cic., Manil., 23, 67): donarium (a consecrated or dedicated offering): corollarium (originally, a chaplet of gilded or silvered flowers as a present to actors, etc.; Vid: Cic., Verr., 3, 79, 184; 4, 22, 49; then, figuratively, a douceur in money, Cic., Verr., 3, 50, 118): strena (a present given on a feast, especially on new-year’s day, for the sake of a good omen): xenium (ξένιον, a present to a guest, Vitr., 6, 7 (10), 4; in the time of Pliny the Younger; also a present, consisting chiefly of eatables, sent to one’s intimate friends; Vid: Gierig, Plin. Ep., 5, 14, 8): apophoretum (ἀποφόρητον, a present, on the Saturnalia, afterward also on other occasions, sent home with the guests; usually articles of dress or ornament): donativum (a present in money, made on extraordinary occasions, to the soldiers): congiarium (oil, wine, corn, salt, in kind or in money, distributed by magistrates or other public men, afterward by the emperors, to the poor; sometimes also soldiers, favorites, or artists, received a similar present: ☞ liberalitas was used first in the Silver Age in the sense of donum, but never otherwise than to denote imperial liberality): a small present, munusculum: a birth-day present, munus natalicium (Valerius Max., 9, 2, extr. 5): to make a present, munerari aliquem; donum or munus alicui dare, afferre munus alicui or munere aliquem donare: to make a present of a thing to anybody, munerari (rarely munerare) aliquem aliqua re; donare aliquem aliqua re or alicui aliquid; dono mittere alicui aliquid (to send as a present): largiri alicui aliquid (to distribute, deal out abundantly): augere aliquem aliqua re (to enrich, especially with children): to make large or handsome presents to anybody, magnis muneribus donare, afficere; donis amplissime donare; amplissimis donis decorare; muneribus explere; amplis praemiis afficere; alicui non pauca large effuseque donare: to receive anything as a present, dono or muneri accipere aliquid: to bring anybody over to one’s side by great presents and promises, magnis jacturis pollicitationibusque ad se perducere aliquem.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for present?
The usual Latin words for “present” are praesēns, vīvō, hic; also sistō, prōpōnō, expōnō. 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.