LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
preposition

ergā

ergā (+ accusative)
Classical[ˈɛr.ɡaː]Ecclesiastical[ˈɛr.ɡa]
Mille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. literallyrarewith accusativeover against, opposite to
  2. figurativelywith accusativewith regard to, towards, for
  3. figurativelywith accusativeagainst
  4. especiallyusuallywith accusativeto, towards, with respect to, with regard to, concerning, about
  5. Medieval Latinwith accusativefrom
    Emō ergā aliquem.I buy from someone.
  6. Medieval Latinwith accusativeapplying to, addressing (oneself) to
    quī aliquem ergā iūdicem accūsābitone who will accuse another applying to the judge

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

benevolentiam habere erga aliquem
to be well-disposed towards...
meritum alicuius in or erga aliquem
what a man merits at another's hands.

ergā,
I. praep. [syncop. for e-regā, from ex and root rag-, to reach upward, be upright; cf. ergo, v. Corss. Ausspr. 1, 448 sqq.], over against, opposite to (cf.: adversus, versus, contra, e regione, e contrario).
I. Lit., of locality (ante- and post-classical and rare): quae med erga aedes habet, i. e. opposite me, Plaut. Truc. 2, 4, 55 (al. modo erga): erga regiam, App. Dogm. Plat. p. 9, 21.—
II. Trop.: aliquem, more rarely aliquid, of feelings and conduct towards a person.
A. Of friendly feelings, etc. (so mostly in class. lang.): erga et in hoc differunt: fere enim erga ad affectum refertur, quasi erga illum benignus: in ad simultatem, quasi in illum sum saevus, Charis. p. 208 P.; cf. Prisc. p. 989: ut eodem modo erga amicum affecti simus, quo erga nosmet ipsos ... ut nostra in amicos benevolentia illorum erga nos benevolentiae pariter respondeat, Cic. Lael. 16; cf. id. Fin. 1, 20, 68; Plaut. Capt. 2, 3, 47; id. Trin. 3, 1, 18: erga aliquem benevolus, id. Capt. 2, 2, 100; cf. id. Mil. 4, 6, 15; id. Rud. 5, 3, 33; Cic. de Or. 2, 43, 182; 2, 49, 201; Plaut. Am. 5, 1, 49; id. Cist. 1, 1, 111; cf. Cic. Fam. 1, 9: divina bonitas erga homines, id. N. D. 2, 23, 60: perpetua erga populum Romanum fides, Caes. B. G. 5, 44, 4; cf. id. B. C. 1, 84, 3; 2, 17, 2 et saep.: te oro per mei te erga bonitatem patris, Plaut. Capt. 2, 1, 48; so, te erga, Ter. Heaut. 2, 3, 24: med erga, Plaut. Capt. 2, 3, 56: se erga, Ter. Heaut. 1, 2, 15: amicum erga, Plaut. Trin. 5, 2, 4; cf. the following.—Relating to things: cum in universam rem publicam, tum etiam erga meam salutem fide ac benevolentia singulari, Cic. Prov. Cons. 1, 1; cf. id. Att. 8, 3, 2; Plin. Pan. 50, 4; Tac. A. 4, 20 al.—
B. Of unfriendly feelings, for the usual contra or adversus, against: ne malus item erga me sit, ut illum erga fuit, Plaut. Ps. 4, 3, 4; id. Aul. 4, 10, 62; id. Cas. 3, 4, 27; Ter. Hec. 3, 5, 36; Nep. Alcib. 4, 4: odium, quod erga regem susceperant, id. Dat. 10 fin.; id. Ham. 4 fin.; id. Hann. 1 fin.; Tac. H. 2, 99; 4, 49; id. A. 2, 2; cf. transp.: med erga, Plaut. As. 1, 1, 5; id. Capt. 2, 3, 56; id. Ep. 3, 3, 9.—Relating to things: res secundae valent commutare naturam, et raro quisquam erga bona sua satis cautus est, against his own advantage, Curt. 10, 1, 40.—
III. In post-Aug. authors (esp. in Tacitus) in gen. of every kind of mental relation to a person or thing, to, towards, in respect to: anxii erga Sejanum, cujus durior congressus, Tac. A. 4, 74: erga Germanicos exercitus laudes gratesque, id. H. 2, 55 fin.; id. A. 11, 25 fin.: prisco erga duces honore, id. ib. 3, 74 fin.; cf. Plin. Pan. 55, 3: suprema erga memoriam filii sui munera, Tac. A. 3, 2; id. H. 1, 20: atrociore semper fama erga dominantium exitus, id. A. 4, 11; Amm. 16, 10; v. Hand Turs. II. pp. 437-440.

Origins

Same as ergō, from ex- and Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- (“to straighten”). Compare with the adverbial use of "ē regiōne" ("directly, against"), with the same elements.

Quick answers

What does ergā mean in Latin?
ergā, a preposition, means “over against, opposite to; to, towards, with respect to, with regard to, concerning, about; from”.
How do you pronounce ergā?
In classical Latin, [ˈɛr.ɡaː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈɛr.ɡa].