What is the Latin word for tear?

The usual Latin words for “tear” are lacrima, fleō, pactum; also lacrimō, magnus, discerpō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“tear” in Latin

lacrimaa tear (drop of liquid from crying); a tear or gumdrop exuding from plants fleōto weep, cry; to lament, bewail, grieve for pactuman agreement, bargain, pact; a means, manner, method, consideration lacrimōto weep magnusgreat, large, big; (of things) vast, extensive, spacious (of physical size or quantity); great, grand, mighty, noble, lo discerpōto pluck or tear to pieces; to rend, mutilate or mangle concerpōto tear to pieces; to pluck off; to abuse, revile, censure scindōto cut, tear; to rend or break asunder; carve; split, divide or separate by force; to tear off one's travelling cloak; u cōnscindōto tear or rend to pieces lacerōto rend, tear to pieces; to mutilate, lacerate; to mangle

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

tear s.

lacrima. Tears, lacrimae, plur., fletus, -ūs. With tears (in the eyes), lacrimans; oculis lacrimantibus; illacrimans; flens: a flood of tears, magna vis lacrimarum: with a flood of tears, cum or non sine multis lacrimis; magno (cum) fletu: to shed tears, lacrimas effundere or profundere; lacrimare; flere (☞ lacrimari means “to be moved to tears”): I shed tears of joy, gaudio lacrimo or lacrimas effundo; gaudio lacrimae mihi cadunt or manant: to refrain from tears, cohibere lacrimas; fletum reprimere, lacrimas sistere (to suppress tears): not to be able to refrain from tears, lacrimas tenere non posse: tears come, lacrimae oboriuntur; flow, manant; burst forth, prorumpunt or erumpunt; fletus erumpit: to yield or give way to tears, tradere se lacrimis; lacrimis indulgere (Ov., Met., 9, 142): to shed a flood of tears, vim lacrimarum profundere: to bedew or moisten with tears, aliquid lacrimis opplere (☞ lacrimis lavare aliquid is found only in the comedians): to draw forth or excite tears, lacrimas concitare or excitare: to move anybody to tears, lacrimas or fletum alicui movere: to wipe away tears, abstergere alicui fletum (Vid: Cic., Phil., 13, 14, 34): a tear soon dries, lacrima cito arescit; nihil facilius quam lacrima inarescit or lacrimae inarescunt.

tear v.

Transitively, in partes discindere (into pieces): discerpere (to pluck to pieces): concerpere: scindere: conscindere: lacerare (to lacerate). To tear one’s hair, abscindere comas; vellere comam: to tear anybody away from anybody’s arms, aliquem a or ex complexu (not complexibus) alicujus abripere: to tear one’s self away from anybody’s embraces, ex complexu alicujus se eripere: to be torn by wild beasts, a feris laniari or dilaniari: to tear off or away (a part from a whole), abscindere (☞ not abscidere = to cut off): to tear one’s self away, se proripere (ex loco): avolare: abripere se: to tear open, divellere (to separate hastily); scindere; discindere (to separate with violence); a garment, vestem discindere: to tear open a wound, vulnus suis manibus divellere (PROP., Hirt., B. Afr., 88): to tear up, concerpere: conscindere: to tear up a letter, epistolam scindere, conscindere, or concerpere.

Intransitively, rumpi: dirumpi.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for tear?: The usual Latin words for “tear” are lacrima, fleō, pactum; also lacrimō, magnus, discerpō. 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.