English → Latin
“seek” in Latin
quaerōto seek, look for; to ask, question, seek or search for a thing, inquire, query, interrogate; to strive for; endeavor; spetōto ask, beg, request, look for, inquire, petition, entreat; to make for (somewhere); to seek, aim at, desireappetōto strive for, reach after (something), try to get; to attack, fall or seize upon, assault, assail; to approach, draw niexpetōto desire, covet; to demand insistently, solicit; to strive forsequorto follow, to come or go after, to pursue; to accede or conform to, follow, comply with; to attend, accompanypersequorto follow perseveringly, continue to follow; search through; pursue; to pursue, chase, hunt; to avenge, take vengeance usectorto follow continually, attend, accompany; to follow after, pursue, chase; to seek after/outcōnsectorto seek or pursue, chase; to hunt down or seek out (in order to destroy); to persecutecaptōto strive to seize, catch or grasp at; to seek, aim ataucuporto go bird-catching or fowling; to catch or take bees; to chase, strive for; to be on the lookout, lie in wait or watch
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
seek
Transitively, To search for, quaerere.
To desire and pursue, petere: appetere: expetere: sequi: persequi: sectari: consectari: captare: aucupare: studere or servire alicui rei. To seek a livelihood, victum quaeritare (Plaut.): to seek one’s own interests, rebus et commodis suis servire; omnia ad utilitatem suam revocare (Cic.).
To ask in order to receive, petere.
To endeavor, studere (with an infinitive, or, more rarely, ut); operam dare, ut; capere (with an infinitive, to seek to; ☞ but quaerere with an infinitive or ut is not found in the best prose). To seek one’s life; i. e., to compass one’s death, insidias vitae moliri.
Intransitively, To make search, quaerere: indagare: vestigare: investigare.
To endeavor to do or effect, conari: moliri: machinari.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for seek?
- The usual Latin words for “seek” are quaerō, petō, appetō; also expetō, sequor, persequor. 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.