English → Latin
“very” in Latin
superusabove, upper, higheripsehimself, herself, itself, the very, the actual; specific reference to the chief, the leader, the one, etc., used to distsuperabove, on top, over; upwards; moreover, in addition, besides, on top of this, too, alsomaximusbiggest, largest; loudest; unencumberedmagnusgreat, large, big; (of things) vast, extensive, spacious (of physical size or quantity); great, grand, mighty, noble, lomagnoperegreatly, exceedingly; earnestly, vehementlysummoperevery much, exceedinglyimpēnsēeagerly, persistentlyperquamas much as possible, extremely, exceedinglyadmodumvery, greatly; completely; just so
The English word very itself goes back to Latin vērus, through vērāgus.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
very adj.
[Vid. TRUE, REAL.] “Veriest” may often be rendered by summus; or by a superlative. A very fool, stultior stultissimo.
Itself, ipse. In that very place, in eo ipso loco.
very adv.
summe (in the highest degree; with verbs and adjectives): maxime: quam maxime: magno opere or magnopere: maximo opere or maximopere. summo opere or summopere (with great pains or effort; only with verbs): impense (zealously; with verbs): perquam (used almost exclusively with words which may be compounded with per): admodum (fully): valde (strongly; with verbs and adjectives): sane quam (with verbs and adjectives): oppido (litterally, enough for the time, plentifully, with adjectives and verbs; chiefly in common life, and hence found, for the most part, in the comedians; but also in Cic., in dialogues and epistles): satis (sufficiently; always with relation to some given end or to certain circumstances; with adjectives and adverbs; e.g., non satis se tutum in Argis videbat, not very safe): vehementer (earnestly, passionately; with verbs of emotion or the like; as dolere, gaudere, rogare; also, not uncommonly, in other connections, merely to denote intensity; e.g., vehementer utile est, Cic.; erit mihi vehementissime gratum, Cic.; vehementer errare, Caes.): graviter (severely; with verbs and participles; e.g., graviter aegrotare, graviter iratus): mire: mirifice: mirum quantum (extraordinarily; with verbs and adjectives): apprime (particularly, especially; with adjectives): perfecte (thoroughly; with adjectives): imprimis (before all, among the first; and for this we find, also, inter primos, in or cum paucis, inter paucos, ante alios, praeter caeteros, super omnes): bene (well, duly; with adjectives, adverbs, and verbs): probe (finely; with adjectives and verbs; but only in conversational style in the comedians): egregie, eximie (excellently, extraordinarily; with adjectives and verbs: ☞ egregie is used, also, to denote excess or defect, but only in common discourse, in dialogue, or in the epistolary style; e.g., egregie falsum, “very false” (but ☞ there is no authority for egregie falli or errare, for which the classical expressions are valde or vehementer errare, procul or longe errare, tota errare via, probe or diligenter errare): longe (far; with words denoting preference or distinction; e.g., longe superare, praestare, or antecellere; longe diversus). “Very” is expressed in Latin in various other ways; e.g., by per in composition with adjectives, adverbs, or verbs; as, perpauci, perquam pauci, very few; mihi perplacet, or perquam placet, I am very well pleased or satisfied: by dis in composition with verbs; e.g., discupere, to desire very eagerly; dilaudare, to extol very highly: by the superlative, sometimes with longe or multo; e.g., (longe) fertilissimus; multo ditissimus: not very (before adjectives and adverbs), non ita; haud ita (☞ not, non admodum, non valde).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for very?
- The usual Latin words for “very” are superus, ipse, super; also maximus, magnus, magnopere. 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.