What is the Latin word for thing?

The usual Latin words for “thing” are negōtium, ēns, turpis; also mīrus, futūrus, nūgae. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“thing” in Latin

negōtiumbusiness, employment, occupation, affair; difficulty, pains, trouble, labor; matter, thing (= πρᾶγμα (prâgma))ēnsbeing; essence; existence turpisugly, unsightly; foul, filthy; cacophonous, disagreeable; base, infamous, scandalous, dishonorable, shameful, disgracefu mīruswonderful, marvelous, amazing, surprising, miraculous futūrusabout to be, about to exist; future; future active participle of sum.nūgaejokes, jests; trifles; worthless people ineptiasilliness, folly, absurdity lentussticky, tenacious; slow, sluggish; flexible, pliant imprimōto press, impress; to print, imprint, stamp

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

thing

res (in all the senses of the English word): negotium (business): ens (philosophical technical term, a being, τὰ ὄντα). The Latins also express “things” by the use of adjectives in the neuter plur.: as, shameful things, turpia: wonderful things, mira: things future, futura: or they employ proper substantives; e.g., silly, trifling things, nugae; ineptiae: a tedious, vexatious thing (i. e., business), lentum, molestum negotium: before all things, ante omnia; imprimis; praecipue (especially): that is not the right thing, aliquid doli subest (there is some cheating in it); hoc monstri simile est (it seems contrary to nature).

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for thing?: The usual Latin words for “thing” are negōtium, ēns, turpis; also mīrus, futūrus, nūgae. 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.