English → Latin
“thread” in Latin
fīlumthread, string, filament, fiber; texture, style, nature; wick of a lamplīnumflax; linen cloth; garment made of linen; rope, line, string, thread, cord, cablelīneaA linen thread.trahōto drag, pull; to trail; to extract, withdraw, derive, take away
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
thread s.
PROP., filum (general term): linum: linea (thicker; composed of several threads twisted together). To draw a thread, filum ducere, trahere. gold threads, aurea fila; aurum netum (spun gold; Alcim., Avit., 6, 36): silver threads, argentea fila: *argentum in filum ductum. Proverbially. To hang by a thread, admodum tenui filo suspensum esse (Valerius Max.); in summum discrimen deductum esse: in summo discrimine versari: tenui filo pendere (Ov.): not to have a dry thread about one, imbre, pluvia, sudore (as the case may be) madidum or madefactum esse. Figuratively. The thread of a discourse, cursus or series narrationis: to cut off the thread of a discourse, incidere or praecidere orationem (not filum orationis abrumpere: filum is the texture of a discourse; the nature, etc., of an argument): to resume the thread of a discourse, redire ad id unde devertimus; unde exorsa est oratio, eo reverti: but to resume the thread of our discourse, sed jam unde huc degressa est, eo redeat oratio; sed jam, unde exorsa est oratio, eo revertatur: the thread of a screw; by the Greek περικόλιον (we find plur., rugae per cochleam bullantes, Plin., 18, 31, 74).
thread v.
To put a thread through (a needle), conjicere filum in acum (Cels.): filum per acum trajicere: filum in acum inserere (of thread Quint., 2, 20, 3).
To put on a thread, lineam per rem perserere (after Varr.); lino inserere (Tert.).
To wind one’s self through a place, penetrare per locum: pervadere locum or per locum.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for thread?
- The usual Latin words for “thread” are fīlum, līnum, līnea; also trahō. 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.