English → Latin
“white” in Latin
albuswhite (properly without luster), dull white; clear, bright; pale, fair, gray, hoarycandidusshining white; clear, bright; fair, beautifulcānuswhite; hoary; frothyalbiduswhiteniveussnow, snowy, snowclad, snow-covered; snow-whitelacteusmilky (of or pertaining to milk); full of milk; milk-drinking; sucklingalbeōto be white
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
white adj.
albus (colorless; opposed to ater): candidus (of a bright color, clear, pure, shining; opposed to niger): canus (grey, silvery; of hair and water): albidus (whitish, comparative). White as snow, niveus: white as milk, lacteus: white lilies, lilia candida (Ov.): white roses, rosae candidae, albentes: not to be able to distinguish black from white, atra et alba discernere non posse (Cic.): to be white, albere: white bread, panis candidus (Quint.): white wine, vinum album (Plin.), candidum (Pall.): to make black white, quidvis probare alicui posse (Plaut.). Troverbially. To wash a blackamoor white, ebur atramento candefacere (Plaut., Mostellaria, 1, 3, 102); nudo detrahere vestimenta (Plaut.): a white lie, mendaciunculum (little lie); mendacium modestum (opposed to mend, impudens).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for white?
- The usual Latin words for “white” are albus, candidus, cānus; also albidus, niveus, lacteus. 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.