LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · neuterthird declension

facinus

facinus n (genitive facinoris)
Classical[ˈfa.kɪ.nʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈfaː.t͡ʃi.nus]
№ 646 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. neuterdeed, action, doing
  2. broadlyneuteradventure, venture, undertaking
  3. especiallyneutercrime, wickedness, evil deed
    “[…] nūllum dēnique scelus, nūllum malum facinus esse, ad quod suscipiendum nōn libīdō voluptātis impelleret; […].” “There is, in the end, no crime, no wicked deed, the pursuit of which would not be impelled by lust for sensual pleasure.” (Cicero’s character Cato the Elder quotes the Pythagorean philosopher Archytas of Tarentum.)106 BCE – 43 BCE, Cicero, Cato Maior de Senectute 12.40

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

factum malum; quī facinus fēcit, poenam timet.
facinus -oris n — in Mille Verba, Basilica et Iūs

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Delictum · Peccatum · Malefactum · Maleficium · Facinus · Flagitium · Scelus · Nefas · Impietas

1. Delictum and peccatum denote the lighter sort of offences; delictum, more the transgression of positive laws, from levity; peccatum (from παχύς), rather of the laws of nature and reason, from indiscretion. 2. A synonyme and as it were a circumlocution of the above words is malefactum; whereas maleficium and facinus involve a direct moral reference; maleficium is any misdeed which, as springing from evil intention, deserves punishment; but facinus, a crime which, in addition to the evil intention, excites astonishment and alarm from the extraordinary degree of daring requisite thereto. 3. There are as many sorts of evil deeds, as there are of duties, against oneself, against others, against the gods; flagitium (from βλαγίς) is an offence against oneself, against one’s own honor, by gluttony, licentiousness, cowardice; in short, by actions which are not the consequence of unbridled strength, but of moral weakness, as evincing ignavia, and incurring shame; whereas scelus (σκληρόν) is an offence against others, against the right of individuals, or the peace of society, by robbery, murder, and particularly by sedition, by the display, in short, of malice; nefas (ἄφατον) is an offence against the gods, or against nature, by blasphemy, sacrilege, murder of kindred, betrayal of one’s country; in short, by the display of impietas, an impious outrage. Tac. G. 12. (ii. 139.)

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativefacinusfacinora
genitivefacinorisfacinorum
dativefacinorīfacinoribus
accusativefacinusfacinora
ablativefacinorefacinoribus
vocativefacinusfacinora

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

facinus facere, committere
to do a criminal deed.
facinus, culpam in se admittere
to commit some blameworthy action.
o facinus indignum! (Ter. Andr. 1. 1. 118)
monstrous!

făcĭnus, ŏris, n. facio,
I. a deed, act, action (class., most freq. in the special signif.).
I. In gen. (syn.: factum, res gestae): Atridae duo fratres cluent fecisse facinus maximum, Cum Priami patriam Pergamum ... subegerunt, Plaut. Bacch. 4, 9, 1; 4, 4, 2; id. Trin. 1, 1, 2: tuum nefarium facinus pejore facinore operire, Cato ap. Gell. 13, 24, 12: nefario facinore admisso, Caes. B. G. 7, 38, 8: magnum et memorabile, Ter. Heaut. 2, 3, 73: praeclarissimum, Auct. Her. 4, 55, 68: hic pulcherrimum facinus adivi, Ter. Phorm. 5, 6, 30: pulcherrimum, Cic. Rab. Perd. 6, 19: rectissimum, Anton. ap. Cic. Phil. 13, 17 fin.: quantum, Poët. ap. Cic. Fam. 2, 9, 2: rarum, Tac. A. 3, 21: suasit amor facinus, Ov. M. 8, 90 al.—In plur.: inaudita et singularia facinora sceleris, audaciae, perfidiae, etc., Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 72, § 189: mirabilia facinora, id. Phil. 2, 42, 109: ingenii egregia facinora, Sall. J. 2, 2. —
B. Transf. in Plautus for thing: nimis mirum est facinus, quomodo haec hinc potuerit transire! Plaut. Mil. 2, 4, 24: quod facinus video? etc., id. Rud. 1, 2, 73.—
II. In partic., a bad deed, misdeed, outrage, villainy, crime (syn.: culpa, peccatum, delictum, flagitium, scelus, crimen, etc.): facinus est vincire civem Romanum, scelus verberare, prope parricidium necare: quid dicam in crucem tollere? Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 66, § 170; cf.: scelus et facinus, id. Mil. 16, 43: ad vim, facinus caedemque delecti, id. Agr. 2, 28, 77: nec in facinore, nec in libidine, id. Mil. 27, 73: nihil facinoris, nihil flagitii praetermittere, Liv. 39, 13, 10: ne facinus facere, Cic. Fin. 2, 29, 95: jacere humi ad facinus obeundum, id. Cat. 1, 10, 26: committere, id. Fam. 3, 10, 2; Caes. B. C. 3, 60, 4: in se admittere, id. B. G. 3, 9, 3; cf. id. ib. 6, 13, 5: patrare, Sall. C. 18, 8: ad omne facinus impellere aliquem, Cic. Fragm. ap. Non. 424, 31 (Rep. 6, 1 ed. Mos.): crimen facinusque libidinis, Juv. 6, 294: transi gymnasia atque audi facinus majoris abollae, i. e. of a teacher, id. 3, 115 al.—Esp. in exclamations: O facinus indignum, Plaut. Men. 5, 7, 15; Ter. Ad. 2, 1, 19: O indignum facinus, id. Eun. 1, 1, 25; cf. Quint. 5, 12, 12; Cic. Att. 2, 13 init.—In plur.: furiae vindices facinorum et sceleris, Cic. N. D. 3, 18, 66: homo flagitiis atque facinoribus coopertus, Sall. C. 23, 1: talia facinora impune suscepisse, id. J. 31, 9.—
B. Transf., concr. (poet.), an instrument of villainy, said of the poisoned cup: facinusque excussit ab ore, Ov. M. 7, 423.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*dʰeh₁-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*dʰeh₁k-
  3. Proto-Indo-European*dʰh₁kyéti
  4. Proto-Italic*θakjō
  5. Proto-Italic*fakjō
  6. Latinfacinus

Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Italic *-nos Latin -nus Latin facinus From faciō + -nus.

Descendants
  • Portuguesefacínora

Quick answers

What does facinus mean in Latin?
facinus, a noun, means “deed, action, doing; adventure, venture, undertaking; crime, wickedness, evil deed”.
What is the genitive of facinus?
The genitive singular is facinoris. facinus is neuter, third declension.
How do you pronounce facinus?
In classical Latin, [ˈfa.kɪ.nʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈfaː.t͡ʃi.nus].
Where does facinus come from?
Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- → Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁k- → Proto-Indo-European *dʰh₁kyéti → Proto-Italic *θakjō → Proto-Italic *fakjō → Latin facinus.