LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
English → Latin

“victory” in Latin

The English word victory itself goes back to Latin vincō, through victōria.

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

victory
victoria (the proper word): tropaeum (τρόπαιον, trophy; metonymy, for victory, as Nep., Them., 5, 3, victoria quae cum Marathonio possit comparari tropaeo): palma (figuratively, reward for a victory, superiority). A decisive victory, parta et explorata victoria: a victory over foreign enemies, victoria externa: a victory over enemies at home, victoria domestica: to get, win, etc., a victory, victoria potiri: the victory was easy, facile erat vincere: after the victory was obtained, parta victoria: to turn the scale of victory in favor of anybody, victoriam ad aliquem transferre: to have the victory in one’s hands, victoriam in manibus habere: to follow up a victory, victoria uti (Cic.); a victoria nihil cessare (Liv., 34, 16; ☞ but not victoriam exercere, which, in Liv., 2, 55, and 7, 22, from the context, has quite a different meaning): to concede the victory to anybody, manus dare vincique se pati (to confess one’s self conquered); alicui palmam dare (to concede the superiority to anybody): to foretell a certain victory, certam victoriae spem augurari: to proclaim a victory, victoriam conclamare: to celebrate a victory, victoriam concelebrare (also by circumlocution with the verbs under CONQUER; e.g., after a victory over enemies, difficulties, etc., victis hostibus, difficultatibus): to obtain a victory, vincere (general term); victoriam consequi or adipisci; superiorem or victorem discedere palmam ferre (figuratively, to have the superiority): over anybody, vincere or superare aliquem; victoriam ferre, referre ex aliquo victoriam reportare ab or de aliquo: to obtain a complete victory over anybody, devincere aliquem (e.g., Poenos classe): to obtain a victory over one’s passions, etc., cupiditates coercere, continere, comprimere; cupiditatibus imperare: a certain, uncertain, doubtful, brilliant, honorable, glorious, etc. victory, victoria certa, explorata, incerta, dubia, clarissima, honesta (egregia, Liv.), praeclara, gloriosa (Cic.): a melancholy, bloody, bloodless, cruel, wicked victory, victoria acerba, cruenta, incruenta (Liv.), funesta, crudelis, nefaria: a complete victory, victoria justa: an easy victory, victoria facilis: almost to give up the victory for lost, victoriam prope desperare: that victory cost the Carthaginians much blood, Poenis ea victoria multo sanguine stetit: our victory was won without the loss of a man, victoria nobis incruenta fuit (Liv. 2, 31): Scipio was called Africanus on account of his great victory over the Carthaginians, Scipio ob egregiam de Poenis victoriam Africanus appellatus est.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for victory?
The usual Latin words for “victory” are victōria, tropaeum, palma. 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.