English → Latin
“trumpet” in Latin
tubalong trumpet over 1 meter in length, especially a war-trumpet; signal for war, war; exciter, author, instigatorlituusa military trumpet; a curved staffbūcinabugle; curved war trumpet; any trumpet in generalcornū̆horn; antler; tusk; the horns of the moonbūcinumtrumpet call, blast on a trumpet; a kind of shellfishcanōto sing, recite, play; to sound, play, blow (a trumpet), especially a military call; to foretell, predict, prophesycantōsynonym of canō (“to sing, recite, play, foretell”); to enchant, or call forth by charms, chantvulgōto broadcast; to publish; to divulge; to issue; to make known among the people; to make common; to prostitute; to make kdīvulgōto spread among the people, make common, publish, divulgepraedicōto proclaim, declare publicly; to announce, make known; to praise, commend, extol
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
trumpet s.
tuba (a long straight bronze tube, increasing in diameter, and terminating in a bell-shaped aperture): lituus (slightly curved at the extremity: the lituus was used by the cavalry, the tuba by the infantry Acro ad Hor., Carm., 1, 1, 23): buccina (a horn-trumpet, resembling the shell, buccinum; spiral and gibbous originally made of a shell, then of horn, and perhaps of wood and metal. Its chief use was in proclaiming the watches of the day: it was also blown at funerals and before sitting down to table): cornu (horn; invented by the Etruscans: first of horn, afterward of brass: curved in the shape of a “C”, with a cross-piece to steady it; non tuba directi, non aeris cornua flexi, Ov., s., Dict. of Antiquities). To blow the trumpet, tuba canere: at the sound of the trumpet, tuba accinente; the sound of a trumpet, tubae or buccinae sonus: the trumpet sounds, buccinatur (of course, only if it is a buccina): though they did not hear the trumpet, non exaudito tubae sono (☞ classicum was PROP. a “signal,” though also used for the instrument, mostly a cornu, with which it was sounded; Dictionary of Antiquities). To sound one’s own trumpet (proverbially), de se ipsum praedicare (Cic.); se ipsum laudare.
trumpet v.
PROP., To blow a trumpet, tuba or buccina canere: cornu or buccinam inflare.
Figuratively, To spread abroad, publish, buccinatorem esse alicujus rei (Cic., Fil. in Cic. Ep., 16, 21, 4, Cortt.): canere: cantare (to publish, render famous; Vid: Verg., Aen., 4, 190; Valerius Flacc., 2, 117): vulgare: divulgare (general term to spread among the people): praedicare (to boast before all): venditare: jactare (to brag, speak boastfully).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for trumpet?
- The usual Latin words for “trumpet” are tuba, lituus, būcina; also cornū̆, būcinum, canō. 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.