English → Latin
“use” in Latin
ūtilitāsusefulness, utility; expediency; advantageūtorto use, make use of, employ; to enjoy, indulge in, take advantage of; to experience, undergo, encountercommoduscomfortable, commodious, suitable, useful, convenient, becoming; opportune, timely, tidy; pleasant, friendlyēmolumentumeffort, exertion, labour; advantage, benefit, gain, profitlucrumprofit, advantage; love of gain, avaricefruorto enjoy; to derive pleasure from; to engage (in)valeōto have strength, influence, power; to avail; to be well, healthy, sound; to be worth, be worthyuthow? in what way?; as; as, being, in the role of, in the capacity of, as natural foradhibeōto extend, hold out; to attend (to), handle, look after; to apply, adopt, employōtiumtime free from activity: leisure, free time; time avoiding activity: idleness, inactivity; peace, repose, quiet, quietne
The English word use itself goes back to Latin ūtor, through uso.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
use s.
utilitas: usus: commodum: emolumentum: lucrum: fructus (profit). To be of much use toward doing anything, multum valere ad aliquid faciendum. Anything is of little use against anything, aliquid parum valet contra aliquid. To be of use, valere (to have weight, validity, efficacy): utile esse: usui esse: ex usu esse: utilitatem or usum praebere: prodesse: conducere. To be of much use, magnae utilitati esse; magnam utilitatem afferre; plurimum or valde prodesse: to be of little use, non multum prodesse: parum prodesse (too little). To be of use to anybody, prodesse alicui; esse ex usu alicujus; esse ex re or in rem alicujus: juvare aliquem: alicui adesse (assist him with advice, etc.). Sometimes proficere may be used; patience is of no use, nihil proficies or nihil proficitur patientia. Guessing is of no use, nihil valet conjectura: to make use of [Vid: To USE]. To make one’s knowledge and good sense of use to mankind, suam intelligentiam prudentiamque ad hominum utilitatem conferre: to be of use to the state by anything, aliqua re rempublicam adjuvare: of what use is it to close the port? quid attinet claudi portum? of what use could it be? quid referret?
use v.
uti (mostly with reference to the permanent or frequent use of anything, aliqua re; for any purpose, ad aliquid): abuti aliqua re (for any purpose; ad aliquid or in aliqua re = “utendo consumere,” to make a thorough, full use of the whole of anything, otio, libertate, etc.; then = “abuse,” opposed to uti): usurpare aliquid (to employ or use anything, as a single act; often as an inchoative): adhibere (to use for a purpose, with an end and definite view); anything, aliquid; for anything, alicui rei; ad aliquid; in aliqua re (☞ never to be used generally as synonymous with uti): conferre aliquid ad (sometimes in) aliquid (to apply to a purpose; e.g., praedas in monumenta deorum immortalium, Cic.; tempus ad aliquid, Cic.): in usum alicujus rei vertere (to make it serve a purpose it was not intended for or did not usually serve; e.g., naves in onerariarum usum, to use ships of war as merchant vessels or transports). To use a word, verbo uti (☞ not usurpare or adhibere in this sense): to use a word correctly, verbum opportune proprieque collocare: to use a word in a particular meaning, subjicere sententiam vocabulo; vocabulo aliquid significare or declarare: to use a word in a rare and pedantic meaning, verbum doctiuscule ponere. Catullus uses “deprecor” in the sense of “detestor,” sic deprecor a Catullo dictum est, quasi detestor. So, too, Cic. uses the word in a similar meaning, item consimiliter Cic. verbo isto utitur: the word is used in an opposite sense by Cic., pro Caecinā, when he says, contra valet, cum Cic., pro Caecinā ita dicit. To use a saying of Solon’s, ut Solonis dictum usurpem (= adopt it, make it my own for this time). To use anybody’s assistance for anything, alicujus operā uti or abuti ad aliquid or in aliquā re; aliquo adjutore uti in aliquā re.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for use?
- The usual Latin words for “use” are ūtilitās, ūtor, commodus; also ēmolumentum, lucrum, fruor. 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.