“say” in Latin

dicere (to speak; general term): loqui (to utter, not to be silent): fari (not to be speechless; and in the Golden Age poetical for loqui): eloqui (to utter aloud or boldly, to speak out): proloqui: profiteri (to give utterance to thoughts hitherto kept secret): proferre, afferre aliquid (to bring forward): pronuntiare: edicere (to proclaim publicly): edere (to publish, make known): aio (to affirm; opposed to nego): memorare (Plaut.): commemorare (Terentianus, and especially in the language of common life): narrare (to relate). To say nothing of this, hoc ut omittam, (silentio) praetermittam: to say what one thinks, sententiam suam dicere; dico quid sentiam: I say what I think, dico quod sentio: have you anything else to say to me? num aliquid aliud me vis? (Ter., Phorm., 1, 2, 101). ☞ We often find cedo, especially in familiar conversation, in such phrases as - say, what shall I do? cedo, quid faciam? Everything that we say, omne quod eloquimur (Cic.): to say for certain, pro certo dicere (Cic.), ponere (Liv.): let them say what they have done, edant et exponant quid gesserint (Cic.): what do you say? quid narras? (Terentianus): I do not understand what you say, quid narres, nescio (Terentianus): they say (indefinitely), dicunt; aiunt; ferunt; loquuntur; narrant; dicitur; fertur; traditur, narratur. It is said that I, you, etc., dicor, diceris, with a nominative; e.g., Aristaeus inventor olei esse dicitur, is said to have been. To say, followed by a negative, is often expressed by nego; e.g., he said that it was not expedient, negavit utile esse. To say yes, aio (always denotes the conviction of the speaker); affirmare (to maintain for certain): to say no, nego. It is commonly said, haec est una vox omnium; omnium sermone celebratur: not to say a word, nullam vocem emittere (Liv.); nullam reddere vocem (Curt.); ne hiscere quidem audere (Liv., not to venture to speak). Don’t say a word about it, haec tibi soli dicta puta; haec tu tecum habeto: hoc tibi in aurem dixerim; arcano tibi ego hoc dixi; hoc lapidi dixerim; ☞ not sub rosa hoc tibi dixerim, which is not Latin. I have heard say, or hear it said, audio; audivi; accepi; certior factus sum; mihi nuntiatum, ad me perlatum est; ad aures meas pervenit. I only said so, I said it in joke, per jocum dixi; jocatus sum; temere, non serio dixi. Do you really say so? ain’ tu? itane? hem, quid narras? No sooner said than done, dictum factum (Terentianus); temporis puncto (Caes.): to say that a thing must, or must not be done, dicere, jubere, ut; dicere, jubere ne vetare with accusative and infinitive: to say = advise, Vid: I do not say, or will not say, non dico: non dicam (when the notion thus suppressed says less than a second): ne dicam: nedum (not to say, when the notion thus suppressed, but which might be said, says more than what is said). I will not say... but only, non dicam... sed, non modo... sed (Zumpt, 724). I heard anybody say [Vid: say under To HEAR]. I say no more, nihil dico amplius. I will only say this, unum illud dico; tantum dico. I say, (α) when a speaker merely repeats his observation, inquam: (β) “say rather” when a speaker corrects himself, quid dico?... immo vero; autem... immo (vero, etiam); e.g., we wish to be at Rome on the twentieth; do I say wish? I should rather say we are compelled to be there, Romae a. d. XIII. Cal. volumus esse; quid dico, volumus? immo vero cogimur. What a retinue! retinue do I say? I should rather say, what a large army, qui comitatus; comitatum dico? immo vero quantus exercitus. You must bear with my mistake; bear with it, do I say? I should rather say, you must lend your assistance, ferendus tibi in hoc meus error; ferendus autem? immo vero etiam adjuvandus.

After a parenthesis, or in resuming a subject, “I say” is rendered by inquam (after one or more words of a clause): ceterum (at the beginning of a clause; Vid: Liv., 38, 55, 4).

As a short parenthesis, “I say,” “said he,” inquam, inquit (not at the beginning of a clause, but always after one or more words, and always before the name of (he speaker): ait: ☞ inquam, inquit, when the words of a speaker are directly quoted; ait, when the sense only is given, or the quotation is indirect: (as Cic. says), (ut ait Cic.).

To say to anything (= express the opinion one entertains upon the subject), censere, judicare, etc. You will see what the physcian says to it, videbis, quid medico placeat. What will people say to it? quid homines judicabunt? qui erit rumor populi? (comedy). What do you say to it? quid tibi videtur? quid censes