English → Latin
“veteran” in Latin
veterānusold, veteranēmereōto earn, merit, gain by service; to serve out; to serve one's time; to complete one's obligation to serve
The English word veteran itself goes back to Latin vetus, through veterānus.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
veteran
veteranus. A veteran = old soldier, (miles) veteranus; vetus miles expertusque belli (Tac.); emeritus (that has served his time out).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for veteran?
- The usual Latin words for “veteran” are veterānus, ēmereō. 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.