What is the Latin word for shut?

The usual Latin words for “shut” are claudō, occlūdō, obdō; also operiō, obtūrō, comprimō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“shut” in Latin

claudōto shut up, close, lock; to imprison, confine; to encompass, surround occlūdōto shut up, close up; to restrain obdōto place or put against; to shut, close, fasten operiōto cover (over something); envelop; to shut, close; (by extension); to hide, conceal, dissemble obtūrōto stop up, block up; to assuage, allay comprimōto compress (squeeze together); to restrain, contain, repress or curb, hinder, check; to withhold or conceal evidences o sumto be, exist; there be; to go ōstiumdoor; entrance; estuary iānuaany double-doored entrance (e.g. a domestic door or a gate to a temple or city); an entrance, entry, access tabernashop, store; inn; tavern, saloon

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

shut

Transitively, claudere (general term, fores; oculcs, of a dying person closing them forever): occludere (shut against a person; e.g., ostium, januam, tabernam, aedes): obdere (by a bar or bolt; e.g., fores): operire (opposed to aperire, shut by a covering, or shut up by a door; e.g., oculos, fores, ostium, domum): obturare (block up; e.g., foramina): comprimere (press together, often an act of the will; e.g., the mouth, the eyes). To shut the eyes, pupulas claudere: ☞ oculos claudere (PROP., to shut the eyes forever; i. e., to die); oculos operire (to shut the eyes on going to sleep). To shut one’s eyes against anything (i. e., to avoid the necessity of noticing it), connivere in aliqua re (Cic.): to shut one’s ears to anything, aures claudere ad aliquid (e.g., ad doctissimas voces): to keep anything shut, aliquid clausum tenere; (with one’s hand) manum opponere ante aliquid (e.g., ante oculos, Ov.): to shut one’s hand; i. e., to double one’s fist, manum comprimere pugnumque facere: to shut one’s hand from or against the poor, pauperes or egentes non sublevare or sublevare nolle, etc.

Shut in, includere (in aliqua re). To shut in with a wall, muro (muris) sepire; moenibus cingere: to shut in the enemy, hostem circumvenire: hostem locorum angustiis claudere (in defiles, etc.): to be shut in by anything, aliqua re cingi, circumdari, contineri: to shut a river in by banks, amnem coercere ripis.

Shut up, shut up in, claudere; concludere; (in anything) concludere, includere in re. To shut one’s self up at home, se includere domi; anybody up in prison, aliquem in custodiam includere: the soul is shut up in the body, animus in corpore conclusus est; animus in compagibus corporis inclusus est: to shut up between two walls, parietibus continere or cohibere.

Shut out, excludere (PROP. and figuratively); from the city, moenibus excludere aliquem; from an office, excludere aliquem honore magistrates: to be shut out from all honors, omnibus honoribus exemptum esse; from the inheritance of a brother’s property, ab hereditate fraterna excludi.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for shut?: The usual Latin words for “shut” are claudō, occlūdō, obdō; also operiō, obtūrō, comprimō. 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.