LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective

facētus

facētus (feminine facēta, neuter facētum, comparative facētior, superlative facētissimus)
Classical[faˈkeː.tʊs]Ecclesiastical[faˈt͡ʃɛː.tus]

Meaning

  1. adjectiveelegant, fine
  2. adjectivecourteous, polite
  3. adjectivewitty, jocose, facetious

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Lepidus · Facetus · Festivus · Salsus · Dicax · Cavillator

Lepos, facetiæ, and festivitas, denote the harmless wit, which, like humor, is only opposed to seriousness, and is the attribute of a benevolent mind; lepos (from λέπω, λεπτός,) the lightest wit, in opp. to dull gravity; festivitas (from σπαθᾶν) the more cheerful sort of wit, in opp. to gloomy seriousness; facetiæ, the jocund wit, in opp. to sober seriousness; whereas sales, dicacitas, and cavillatio, denote the more pungent wit, which is a sign of an acute intellect; sales (ἅλες) the piquant wit, in opp. to what is flat and trivial, which aims at a point, whether others may be pleasantly or painfully affected by it; dicacitas (from δακεῖν) the satirical wit, which is exercised at the cost of others, yet so that the jest is still the principal aim,—the pain inflicted, only an accidental adjunct; cavillatio, the scoffing wit, in which the mortification of others is the principal aim, the jest only a means and unimportant form. Cic. Orat. 30. Demosthenes non tam dicax fuit, quam facetus. Est autem illud acrioris ingenii, hoc majoris artis. (v. 21).

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativefacētusfacētafacētum
genitivefacētīfacētaefacētī
dativefacētōfacētaefacētō
accusativefacētumfacētamfacētum
ablativefacētōfacētāfacētō
vocativefacētefacētafacētum
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativefacētīfacētaefacēta
genitivefacētōrumfacētārumfacētōrum
dativefacētīsfacētīsfacētīs
accusativefacētōsfacētāsfacēta
ablativefacētīsfacētīsfacētīs
vocativefacētīfacētaefacēta

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

facete dicere
to be witty.
facete dictum
a witticism, bon mot.
facete et commode dicere
to indulge in apt witticisms.
facetiis uti, facetum esse
to make witty remarks.

făcētus, a, um, adj. root fa- of fari; Sanscr. bhā-, shine, appear; Gr. φα- in φημί, φαίνω; strengthened făc, as in fax, facies,
I. well-made, choice, elegant, fine.
I. Lit. (very rare): nae illi sunt pedes faceti ac deliciis ingredienti molles, Brutus ap. Quint. 6, 3, 20: facetis victibus vivere, Plaut. Most. 1, 1, 43.—
II. Trop.
A. Of behavior, fine, courteous, polite, gentle (very rare): vir facetus atque magnificus, Plaut. Most. 2, 2, 84: mulier commoda et faceta, Ter. Heaut. 3, 2, 11: ut cuique est aetas, ita quemque facetus adopta, Hor. Ep. 1, 6, 55: est qui (ambulet tunicis) subductis usque facetus, i. e. who thinks to be very fine, id. S. 1, 2, 26.—
B. Of speech. *
1. Elegant, fine: molle atque facetum Vergilio annuerunt gaudentes rure Camenae, Hor. S. 1, 10, 44; cf.: decoris hanc et excultae cujusdam elegantiae appellationem (faceti) puto, Quint. 6, 3, 20.—
2. Merry, witty, jocose, humorous, facetious (the predominant signif. of the word).
a. Of persons: dulcem et facetum festivique sermonis atque in omni sermone simulatorem, quem εἴρωνα Graeci nominarunt, Socratem accepimus, Cic. Off. 1, 30, 108: elegantes, faceti, id. Brut. 16, 63: esse quamvis facetum atque salsum, id. de Or. 2, 56, 228: in altercando cum aliquo aculeo et maledicto facetus, id. Brut. 47, 173: imitatores et narratores faceti, id. de Or. 2, 54, 219: etiam quodam loco facetus esse voluisti, id. Phil. 2, 8, 20: conviva joco mordente facetus, Juv. 9, 10 et saep.—
b. Of inanim. and abstr. things: duplex omnino est jocandi genus: unum illiberale, petulans, flagitiosum, obscenum, alterum elegans, urbanum, ingeniosum, facetum, Cic. Off. 1, 29, 104: ironia faceta et elegans, id. Brut. 85, 292: faceta et urbana innumerabilia, id. de Or. 2, 56, 227: sermo, id. ib. 1, 8, 32: dictum, id. ib. 2, 54, 219: joci, Just. 39, 2.—Comp.: Quo facetior videare, Lucil. ap. Fest. s. v. REDARGUISSE, p. 273, 10 Müll. —Sup.: Aristophanes facetissimus poëta veteris comoediae, Cic. Leg. 2, 15, 37: argutiae facetissimi salis, Plin. 35, 10, 37, § 117.—Hence, adv.: făcēte,
1. (Acc. to II. A.) Finely, properly, elegantly (anteclass.): hanc ego rem exorsus sum facete et callide, Plaut. Pers. 4, 1, 7; id. Mil. 1, 1, 39; id. Stich. 1, 3, 114: facete dictum, well said! good! id. Capt. 1, 2, 73; Ter. Eun. 2, 2, 57; 3, 1, 37.—
2. (Acc. to II. B.) Wittily, pleasantly, humorously, facetiously (class.): numquam tam male est Siculis, quin aliquid facete et commode dicant, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 43, § 95: facete et urbane Stoicos ridere, id. Fin. 1, 11, 39: multa colligere ridicule ac facete, id. de Or. 1, 57, 243: praeclare et apposite et facete scripsit, Gell. 2, 23, 11: (Cicero) plura quam quisquam dixit facete, Quint. 6, 3, 4.—Comp.: nos ab isto nebulone facetius eludimur, Cic. Rosc. Am. 44, 128: disputare, id. de Or. 2, 54, 217.—Sup.: noster hic facetissime tres de jure civili libellos tribus legendos dedit, Cic. de Or. 2, 55, 223: dicere, Plin. Ep. 1, 9 fin.: ludere, id. ib. 9, 22, 2.

Origins

From Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰweh₂k- (“to shine”). Cognate with fax, Lithuanian žvakė (“candle”). Another alternative is that it derives from fax + -tus.

Descendants
  • Englishfacetious
  • Frenchfacétieux
  • Italianfaceto
  • Portuguesefaceto
  • Spanishfaceto
  • Sicilianfacitu
  • Polishfacet
  • TranslingualFacetotecta

Quick answers

What does facētus mean in Latin?
facētus, a adjective, means “elegant, fine; courteous, polite; witty, jocose, facetious”.
How do you pronounce facētus?
In classical Latin, [faˈkeː.tʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [faˈt͡ʃɛː.tus].