English → Latin
“wheel” in Latin
rotawheel; a car, a chariot; the disc of the suntympanumdrum, timbrel, tambour, tambourine; eardrumradiusa ray of light (also reflected); the name of an elongated variety of olive; the name of a rod with which geometers make terebrōto bore through, pierce, perforaterhombusrhombus (geometry); flatfish; a magician's circledēcurrōto run, flow, move, sail or swim down; to charge or skirmish; to hasten, rush downdēcursiōrunning or flowing down; raid, inroad, manœuvre, military exercise, evolution, a descent, hostile attackcirculātiōrevolution (circular course), circulationcircĭnātĭothe circumference of a circlecircuituspatrol; circuit; revolution (going around)
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
wheel
rota (general term): tympanum (τύμπανον, a wheel composed of boards, etc., like our wheels of water-mills): radii (the spokes of a carriage-wheel; e.g., to put one’s head into the wheel, caput radiis inserere): terebra (a stone-cutter’s wheel): *rhombus, cujus ope nentur stamina; or, by metonymy, *machina, qua nentur stamina (a spinning-wheel): rota figularis or figuli (a potter’s wheel). To lock a wheel, sufflaminare rotam: rotam (multo) sufflamine stringere († Juv.). Wheel in a pulley, orbiculus (per tres orbiculos circumvehi, to pass over three wheels): toothed wheels, dentata tympana (of solid wheels; Vitr.). ☞ Wheel (= instrument of torture) [Vid: RACK]. To break anybody on the wheel, alicui crura frangere or effringere: death on the wheel, *rotae supplicium.
A carriage moving on wheels [Vid. COACH, CARRIAGE].
Circular motion, decursus, -ūs: decursio (of a body of soldiers, evolution): circulatio: circinatio: ambitus rotundus (rotation): circuitus, -ūs: circuitio (a compass or compassing about): gyrus (the orb or circle described by anything moving round a centre).
wheel v.
Transitively, in gyrum ducere: circumagere (to wheel round; e.g., equos, Liv., 8, 7, to wheel their horses round).
Intransitively, circumagi: in gyros ire: gyros edere, peragere, ducere.
Military; right wheel! in hastam! left wheel! in scutum! (Vid: Herzog Caes., B.G., 1, 25).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for wheel?
- The usual Latin words for “wheel” are rota, tympanum, radius; also terebrō, rhombus, dēcurrō. 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.