English → Latin
“river” in Latin
flūmena river; flowing water; a stream, flood; flow, fluency, fluidityfluviusa stream, smaller river; the stream of a river, a current, torrentamnistorrent (any broad, deep flowing, rapid water); stream; river; ocean; liquid; current; the flow of well-written textfluviātilisriverine, (relational) riverfluviālisfluvial (pertaining to rivers)flŭvĭātĭcusbelonging to a river
The English word river itself goes back to Latin rīpa, through rīpāria.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
river
flumen: fluvius: amnis (☞ flumen usually of larger rivers, flowing into the sea; fluvius, of smaller fresh-water rivers, which are sometimes dried up; amnis, a stream, with reference rather to the flow of the water, or its breadth and depth). Of or belonging to a river, fluviatilis (e.g., piscis); fluvialis: fluviaticus: or by the genitive, fluminis; e.g., a river god, *fluminis numen. A great river, fluvius magnus, flumen magnum: a small river, amniculus: a rapid river, flumen rapidum, fluvius rapidus; amnis incitatior: a slow or gentle river, amnis sedatus; incredibili lenitate flumen est, ita ut oculis, in utram partem fluat, judicari non potest (Caes., B.G., 1, 12; is so slow): to turn the course of a river, amnem in alium cursum deflectere et contorquere (Cic., Div., 1, 19, 38): The river has shady and pleasant banks, amnis multa riparum amoenitate inumbratur (Curt.). The river divides the city, amnis mediam urbem interfluit (Cic.). The river flows into the sea, amnis in mare evadit (Curt.); flumen in mare influit (Cic.): the bed of a river, fossa (e.g., fossa Rheni; Vid: Cic., Pis., 33, init.): down the river, secundo flumine: up the river, adverso flumine.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for river?
- The usual Latin words for “river” are flūmen, fluvius, amnis; also fluviātilis, fluviālis, flŭvĭātĭcus. 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.