What is the Latin word for wing?

The usual Latin words for “wing” are āla, penna, cornū̆; also volō, ālārius. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“wing” in Latin

ālaa wing (appendage of an animal's body that enables it to fly); the armpit (the upper and under part of the arm, where it pennawing (of natural or supernatural creatures); feather, especially a flight-feather; pinion; quill pen cornū̆horn; antler; tusk; the horns of the moon volōto wish, to please; to want; to mean, to intend ālāriusOf or pertaining to the wings of an army, that is upon the wing.

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

wing

PROP., ala. Wings, alae; pennae (alae is used also of insects; pennae only of birds; according to Quint., 1, 4, 12, pinnae for pennae is wrong): to have wings, alatum esse (poetical, PROP.); volare (figuratively, of time): to clip the wings, pennas alicui incidere (PROP. and figuratively; Cic., Att., 4, 2, 5): to clip his wings, alas intervellere (i. e., pluck some of the feathers out; IMPROP.; Plaut.): the wings grow again, pennae renascuntur (PROP. and figuratively).

Figuratively, (a) Of an army, cornu (a wing of the main army of the Roman legions): ala (one of the wings of the cavalry and allies which extended beyond the Roman legions; Vid: Gell., 16, 4): The troops which formed the wings, alarii; so, also, alariae cohortes (Vid: commentators on Caes., B.G., 1, 51): to be in the right wing, to form the right wing, dextrum cornu tenere; in dextro cornu consistere: to attack the left wing, invadere sinistrum cornu. (b) A side building of a house, tectum quod est viae junctum (a building projecting from the main building toward the street, Gell., 16, 5): ala (one of the walks or halls on the right or left side of the court in a Roman house, Vitr. 4, 7, 2; 63, 4, sq.). To build another wing (to a building), accessionem adjungere aedibus. (c) Of a door, foris: valva (rarely in the sing.).

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for wing?: The usual Latin words for “wing” are āla, penna, cornū̆; also volō, ālārius. 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.