What is the Latin word for saying?

The usual Latin words for “saying” are dīcō, effor, Platō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“saying” in Latin

dīcōto say, talk, speak, utter, mention; to declare, state; to tell efforto speak, say out, utter; to define, determine, fix PlatōPlato, a Greek philosopher

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

saying

dictum: effatum. ☞ This word is often implied in the use of a neuter pronoun, without any substantive expressed, followed by a genitive; e.g., praeclarum illud Platonis, an excellent saying of Plato: an old or common saying; Vid: PROVERB.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for saying?: The usual Latin words for “saying” are dīcō, effor, Platō. 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.