English → Latin
“wit” in Latin
dicācitāsbiting wit, raillery, banterlepōspleasantness, charm, attractiveness, agreeableness; politeness, grace; pleasantry, wit, humorfacētiajest, wit, humoursālsalt; wit; brine, salt water, the seadīctēriumbon mot, witticism
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
wit
ingenii acumen, or simply acumen (shrewdness, cleverness, quickness of intellect): dicacitas (in repartee, sharp sayings, etc.): lepos (neatness and elegance of diction): facetiae (humor, jocoseness): lepos facetiaeque: sal; plur., sales (pungency, smartness): sal et facetiae, breviter et commode dictum (a bon-mot): dicterium (a short and acute remark or saying). Low wit, facetiae scurriles: satirical wit, facetiae acerbae; sales acerbi: he has some wit, aliquid est in eo ingenii (Cic.): to have a ready wit, ingenium in numerate habere (Quint.): to be in one’s wits, sapere; animi or mentis compotem esse: to be out of one’s wits, desipere; delirare; insanire: to be at one’s wits’ end, ad incitas redigi.
A man of wit, homo acri ingenio, ingeniosus, or acutus (clever): homo acutus, elegans, facetus (Cic., clever and humorous): jocosus (merry and jocose): dicax: scurra (a low jester). TO WIT, nempe: nimirum: scilicet. Vid: NAMELY.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for wit?
- The usual Latin words for “wit” are dicācitās, lepōs, facētia; also sāl, dīctērium. 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.