English → Latin
“scale” in Latin
lanxdish, platter, plate; scalepansquāmascale (of a fish or reptile); flake; any item shaped like a scaletrutinabalance, (pair of) scaleslībralibra, Roman pound, a Roman unit of mass, equivalent to about 327 g; scales, a tool used to balance two weights to measustatērasteelyard, balance, scales; value; gradependōto weigh, weigh out; to pay; to consider, ponderadmoveōto move, bring, conduct, lead or carry someone or something to or toward; apply to; to move or bring someone or somethinmūruswall, city wall(s), (usually of a city, as opposed to pariēs); mounds made without ditches
The English word scale itself goes back to Latin scandō, through scāla.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
scale s.
Of a balance, lanx: scales, trutina (τρυτάνη: PROP. the hole in which the tongue of the balance plays; then general term for balance: trutinae, quae staterae dicuntur, Vitr., 10, 3, 8, 4): libra (a pair of scales): statera (mostly steelyard; seldom pair of scales): to weigh in a scale, pendere; trutinā examinare (Cic., De Or., 2, 38, 159). Not to weigh in too nice a scale, non aurificis statera, sed populari trutinā examinare: to hold the scale even, binas lances aequato examine sustinere (Verg., PROP.); aequabilem juris rationem tenere (Cic., figuratively). The scale turns [Vid: TURN].
A thin lamina, squama (as, of a fish): covered with scales, squamis obductus or intectus; squamosus: to take off scales from fish, pisces desquamare.
scale v.
Transitively, To strip off scales, desquamare (general term); or desquamare pisces (fishes).
To pare the surface from, summum corticem desquamare (of the bark of a tree); also, decorticare arborem, or corticem arbori in orbem detrahere (all round).
To climb as by ladders [Vid: to CLIMB]. to scale the wall, scalas moenibus applicare or admovere (to put the scaling-ladders to the wall): scalis muros adoriri (to attack it): scalas erigi jubere (to order the scaling-ladders to be used): murum or in murum ascendere: in murum (muros), in moenia evadere (of the enemy, but also of the inhabitants of a town): impetu facto urbem scalis capere (to take by scaling): to endeavor to scale ascensum urbis scalis tentare.
Intransitively, To pare off, desquamari (of bodies covered with scales): squamulae ex cute decedunt or a cute resolvuntur; squamae a cute recedunt or ex cute secedunt (relating to the skin); also, *furfures cutis abscedunt.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for scale?
- The usual Latin words for “scale” are lanx, squāma, trutina; also lībra, statēra, pendō. 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.