English → Latin
“present” in Latin
praesēnspresent, immediate, at hand, existing; prompt; propitiousvīvōto live; to be alive, to survive; to reside inhicthis one; this (thing); these ones (in the plural); these (things); he, she, itsistōto cause to stand; to set; to place; to stop, to halt; to place oneself; to standprōpōnōto set forth, to put forth, to lay out; to expose to view, display; to make knownexpōnōto make conspicuous, to put something where everyone may see it: to expose, exhibit, display, set out; to set forth; to ostendōto expose to view, exhibit, show; to reveal, expose, make known; to explain, clarifyostentōto exhibit, show, present; to show off, make a boastful display of; to offer as an exampleofferōto bring before or bring to, present, offer, bestow, show, place before, exhibit, expose; to cause, occasion, inflict; tpraebeōto proffer, offer; to provide, grant, furnish, supply, service; to show, display
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.