LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininethird declension

factiō

factiō f (genitive factiōnis)
Classical[ˈfak.ti.oː]Ecclesiastical[ˈfak.t͡si.o]

Meaning

  1. a political faction, a group of people acting together
    Christiana Unio Socialis tantam victoriam assecuta est, quantam in Germania nulla umquam factio ex electionibus liberis tulerat: abhinc Bavariam regere poterit duabus partibus [2/3] legatorum nisa.The Christian Social Union has achieved a victory that no other party in Germany has carried out: henceforth it will rule Bavaria holding two thirds of the legislature.2003, Hannelore Zöllner, Eximia victoria Stoiberiana https://web.archive.org/web/20171227121931/http://www.interrete.de/latein/nuntiibrem.html, Nuntii Latini Radio Bremen, Septembris 2003
  2. a company of charioteers
  3. rarean act of making or doing; a preparation

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

pars colōris in circō
factiō -ōnis (f) — in Epistulae, ch. 4

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Partes · Factio

Partes denote the party, which is formed of itself by difference of principles and interests; whereas factio (from σφηκόω) the clique of partisans, formed by narrow differences of the members of a party with each other, and who act together with a blind party-spirit, in order necessarily and by force to give the upper hand to their own cause. Sall. Jug. 31. Inter bonos amicitia, inter malos factio est.

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativefactiōfactiōnēs
genitivefactiōnisfactiōnum
dativefactiōnīfactiōnibus
accusativefactiōnemfactiōnēs
ablativefactiōnefactiōnibus
vocativefactiōfactiōnēs

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

factio (of aristocrats)
a party; faction.

factĭo, ōnis, f. id..
I. A making, doing, preparing (very rare): tabulae, quas is instituisset, cui testamenti factio nulla est, the right of making a will, Cic. Top. 11, 50; cf.: factionem testamenti habere, id. Fam. 7, 21: quae haec factio est? conduct, dealing, proceeding, Plaut. Rud. 5, 3, 15; id. Bacch. 4, 8, 2.—
II. (Acc. to facio, II. B.; lit., a taking part or siding with any one; hence concr.) A company of persons associated or acting together, a class, order, sect, faction, party (syn.: pars, partes, causa, rebellio, perduellio, seditio).
A. In gen. (rare): cum vostris nostra non est aequa factio; Affinitatem vobis aliam quaerite, i. e. family, rank, Plaut. Trin. 2, 4, 51; cf.: neque nos factione tanta, quanta tu, sumus, id. Cist. 2, 1, 17; id. Trin. 2, 4, 66; 90; 96; id. Aul. 2, 1, 45: utrimque factiones tibi pares, Cato ap. Charis. p. 198 P.: alia (medicorum) factio coepit in Sicilia, i. e. class or school, Plin. 29, 1, 4, § 5: est et alia magices factio, a Mose pendens, id. 30, 1, 2, § 11: lascivientium, Vulg. Amos, 6, 7.—
B. In partic., a company of political adherents or partisans, a party, side, faction (class.; among the republican Romans usually with the odious accessory notion of oligarchical): in Gallia non solum in omnibus civitatibus atque in omnibus pagis partibusque, sed paene etiam in singulis domibus factiones sunt, earumque factionum principes sunt, qui, etc., divisions, factions, Caes. B. G. 6, 11, 2 sq.: paucorum factione oppressus, id. B. C. 1, 22, 5; cf.: in qua (Scaevolae oratione) invidia incitatur in judicum et in accusatorum factionem, Cic. Brut. 44, 164: haec inter bonos amicitia, inter malos factio est, Sall. J. 31, 15: conspiratis factionum partibus, Phaedr. 1, 2, 4: per vim et factionem, Cic. Att. 7, 9, 4: triginta illorum consensus et factio, i. e. oligarchy, Cic. Rep. 1, 28; cf.: cum certi propter divitias aut genus aut aliquas opes rem publicam tenent, est factio: sed vocantur illi optimates, id. ib. 3, 14; 1, 44; cf. also: ut exsistat ex rege dominus, ex optimatibus factio, ex populo turba et confusio, id. ib. 1, 45: in factionis potestate, id. ib. 3, 32: principem factionis ad Philippum trahentium res, Liv. 32, 19, 2; Tac. H. 1, 13; Suet. Claud. 13.—
2. Scenic t. t., a division, company, or party of charioteers at the Roman races (of which there were four, named after their colors: albata, prasina, russata, veneta), Suet. Calig. 55; id. Vit. 7; 14; id. Dom. 7; Inscr. Orell. 2593; cf. Fest. p. 86 Müll.; and Anthon's Dict. of Antiq. p. 256.—Also of pantomimes, Suet. Ner. 16; and: domini factionum = factionarii, id. ib. 5; 22; Lampr. Com. 16.

Origins

From faciō (“to make, do”) + -tiō (action noun suffix), with a metaphorical primary meaning.

Elsewhere
  • Portuguesefeiçãofrom Old Galician-Portuguese feiçon
  • Catalanfacció
  • Italianfazione
  • Frenchfactionfrom Middle French faction
  • Englishfactionfrom Middle French faction
  • Romanianfacțiune
  • Portuguesefacção
  • Spanishfacción
  • Galicianfeizónfrom Old Galician-Portuguese feiçon
  • Czechfakce
Southern Gallo-Romance
  • Catalanfaiçó
  • Catalanfaisó
  • Occitanfaiçon
Northern Gallo-Romance
  • Frenchfaçonfrom Old French façon
  • Franco-Provençalfaçon
Padanian
  • Piedmontesefasson

In English words that came into English from factiō

  • fashionfactiō
  • factionfactiō
  • factiousfactiosus

Quick answers

What does factiō mean in Latin?
factiō, a noun, means “a political faction, a group of people acting together; a company of charioteers; an act of making or doing”.
What is the genitive of factiō?
The genitive singular is factiōnis. factiō is feminine, third declension.
How do you pronounce factiō?
In classical Latin, [ˈfak.ti.oː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈfak.t͡si.o].
Which English words come from factiō?
English words that go back to Latin factiō include fashion, faction and factious.