English → Latin
“synonym” in Latin
significōto show, express, signify, point out; to portend, prognosticate; to call, namevaleōto have strength, influence, power; to avail; to be well, healthy, sound; to be worth, be worthy
The English word synonym itself goes back to Latin synōnymum.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
synonym
vocabulum idem declarans or significans; usually plur., verba idem declarantia, idem signiricantia (Quint.). To be a synonym, idem declarare, significare, valere: a number of synonyms, collecta vocabula quae idem significant (Quint., 10, 1, 7).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for synonym?
- The usual Latin words for “synonym” are significō, valeō. 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.