English → Latin
“prudent” in Latin
circumspiciōto look around, over, for, upon; to survey, examine or review; to seek or search for, look about for something with desicōnsīderōto examine, look at or inspect, survey; to consider, reflect, contemplate, meditateprōvidusprophetic; provident, prudent, circumspect, cautiousprūdēnswise, prudent; skilful, knowledgeable (in a specific matter)caveōto take precautions, beware, take care; to guard against, attend to a thing for a person, provide; to guard against, to dīligōto esteem, prize, love, have regard, to delight in (something); to set apart by choosing, to single (something) out, to gravisheavy; pregnant; troublesome, hardhomō̆human, person, man; male human being, man; term of address to male peers, especially by another man: man, fellow, mate,
The English word prudent itself goes back to Latin prōvidēns, through prūdēns.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
prudent
circumspectus (post-classical; in Quint., Cels., Suet., etc., of persons and things; e.g., circumspectum judicium): consideratus (both passive, “well-weighed,” of things [e.g., considerata judicia, Cic.]; and active, “one who weighs things well” [e.g., homo, Cic.]): providus: prudens; cautus. (The words are found in this connection and order.) prudens et cautus; prudens et providus; cautus et providus: diligens (careful; also of things): gravis (one who acts from sound principles after due deliberation).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for prudent?
- The usual Latin words for “prudent” are circumspiciō, cōnsīderō, prōvidus; also prūdēns, caveō, dīligō. 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.