LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
English → Latin

“run” in Latin

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

run
cursus (general term, of bodily motion, etc.): lapsus (a flowing, especially of water): curriculum (in a race-course): motus (motion, general term). The ordinary run of affairs, rerum humanarum cursus.
run v.
Of persons, currere (general term): decurrere (from a higher to a lower point; from a place, a, ab :; down from, de; out from, e, ex; through, per with an accusative, or by a simple accusative; to a place, ad; so that whenever the terminus a quo or the terminus ad quem is not mentioned, it must be supplied): cursu ferri (with haste): aufugere (to run away): cursu tendere aliquo (to run to a place): accurrere (to run hither): percurrere (to run to): procurrere (to run forth or out): se proripere (to run forth or out; both e.g., in publicum; foras): effundi, se effundere (to flow out; of a mass of persons; e.g., in castra): currere in, etc. (to run into anything; but incurrere in aliquem, in aliquid, means, to run against, to attack): transcurrere aliquid (to run over anything; then absolutely = to run over to or from; e.g., ad aliquem): circumcurrere, circumcursare locum (to run about in a place): pervagari locum (to pass through quickly). To run against each other, inter se concurrere: to run to anybody, currere, cursum capessere ad aliquem; transcurrere ad aliquem (to anybody who is or dwells over against us): concurrere ad aliquem (in order to speak to him; Vid: Graev., Cic., Quint., 16, 53): to run one’s self out of breath, cursu exanimari: to run for a wager, cursu certare; certatim currere: Run as fast as you can, percurre curriculo. Run as fast as you can, and bring, curriculo eas et afferas: curriculo affer, afferas, etc. (☞ This adverbial use of curriculo is found in the language of common life, in the comic writers, and in Apul..) Run and fetch him, curre, arcesse eum. Run away, abi! fac abeas! to come running, accurrere. Figuratively, to run after anything (i. e., to solicit or sue earnestly for a thing), ambire (absolutely: ☞ not ambire munus). To run after a girl, virginem ambire nuptiis (in order to marry her; after Tac., Germ., 17, 2): circa domum virginis assiduum esse (to frequent her house).
Of things moveable, currere (☞ in prose only of such things as move in a circle; e.g., a wheel, a ball; of rivers, etc., it is used only by poets and prose writers of the Silver Period; hence; e.g., for flumen per ultima Indiae currit, Curt., 8, 9, 9, it ought to be flumen per ultima Indiae fertur; for amnes in aequora currunt, Verg., Aen., 12, 524, the prose expression would be amnes in maria influunt, etc. Likewise decurrere ex or in for defluere, to flow down, is rather poetic): ferri (to be borne along with rapidity: of the heavenly bodies, rivers, etc.): labi, delabi (to glide along or down; of water, etc.): devolvi (to roll down): fluere, into anything, in aliquid; through anything, per aliquid (to flow): influere in, etc., effundi, se effundere, in, etc. (to flow into; e.g., in mare): intrare aliquid, locum (to enter or go into; e.g., of ships, portum): exire loco, ex loco (to run out from a place): ferri, moveri, torqueri circa aliquid (to turn itself about anything; e.g., of the sun, circa terram): serpere per, etc. (to run or entwine itself on or about anything, of plants; e.g., per humum). Running water, aqua fluens (opposed to aqua putealis), or aqua fluvialis, or viva; flumen vivum (a river). Running brooks, salientes rivi. Tears run down the cheeks, lacrimae manant per genas (Vid: Hor., Od., 4, 1, 34); fluunt per os lacrimae (Ov., Met., 4, 581). The candles are running, candelae diffluunt: to run round anything; i. e., to surround it, cingere aliquid (e.g., urbem cingit fossa alta). The road runs (leads) to Rome, haec via fert (☞ not ducit) Romam.
Figuratively, To run into debt, aes alienum contrahere or conflare.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for run?
The usual Latin words for “run” are cursus, lābor, curriculum; also moveō, currō, dēcurrō. 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.