English → Latin
“square” in Latin
quadrōto make four-cornered, square, make square; to put in order, join properly, complete, perfect; to agree with, fit with, quadrangulusquadrangular (four-sided)tetragōnumtetragon, quadranglequadrangulumquadrangleorbiscircle, ring; of things that return at a certain period of time, a rotation, round, circuit; an orb (sphere)normaa carpenter’s square; a norm, standard (rule, precept)colligōto gather, draw, bring or collect (together), assemble, pick up; contract, draw up, compress, concentrate; harvest; to m
The English word square itself goes back to Latin quadrus, through *exquadra.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
square adj.
quadratus: quadrangulus. A square foot, pes quadratus: quadrata cubita soli in quadratum quaternis denariis venundantur (four cubits square): Ten feet square, deni in quadrum pedes: to build (e.g., a forum) square, in quadrato constituere: built square, in quadrato constitutus: quadratus: A square letter, littera quadrata.
square s.
The mathematical figure, quadratum: tetragonum, or, pure Latin, figura quadrata or quadrangula.
Anything of a square shape, quadra. Square of a chess-board, perhaps quadra tabulae latrunculariae.
(In architecture)(In architecture), quadratum: tetragonum (Greek): | (In military tactics), orbis (litterally, a circle; formed by the Roman soldiers in cases in which modern troops would form a square: the square, in this sense, was unknown in ancient tactics; for ☞ agmen quadratum denotes the whole army marching in battle array in the form of a parallelogram). To form a square, orbem facere or colligere; in orbem coire; in orbem se tutari.
A rule by which workmen form their angles, norma (Vitr.).
square v.
quadrare (to make square): ad acerrimam normam dirigere; rem cum re commetiri (to make to fit or agree). To square a number, in se multiplicare.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for square?
- The usual Latin words for “square” are quadrō, quadrangulus, tetragōnum; also quadrangulum, orbis, norma. 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.