noun · neutersecond declension
fātum
fātum n (genitive fātī)
Classical[ˈfaː.tũː]Ecclesiastical[ˈfaː.tum]
№ 157 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary
Meaning
- destiny, fate, lot
alicuius fatum est/ alicui fatum est + infinitive
someone is fated to ... - in pluraldeath
- speech
- utterance, declaration, proclamation, prediction, prophecy
sīc erat in fātīs; nec tē tua culpa fugāvit, sed deus
Thus it was in the prophecies: no fault of yours has exiled you, but a god.8 CE, Ovidius, Fasti 1.481–482
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
quod deī dē vītā hominis statuērunt; fāta negāre nēmō potest.fātum -ī n — in Mille Verba, ch. Vīta et Mors
quod deī dē vītā statuēruntfātum -ī (n) — in IVLIANVS I: Gallia, ch. 5
fate
fātum — in Seneca, ch. IV
Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms
Casus · Fors · Fortuna · Fors Fortuna · Fatum
1. Casus denotes chance as an inanimate natural agent, which is not the consequence of human calculation, or of known causes, like συμφορά; whereas fors denotes the same chance as a sort of mythological being, which, without aim or butt, to sport as it were with mortals, and baffle their calculations, influences human affairs, like τύχη. 2. Fors, as a mythological being, is this chance considered as blind fortune; whereas Fortuna is fortune, not considered as blind, and without aim, but as taking a part in the course of human affairs from personal favor or disaffection; lastly, fors fortuna means a lucky chance, ἀγαθὴ τύχη. 3. All these beings form an opposition against the Dii and Fatum, which do not bring about or prevent events from caprice or arbitrary will, but according to higher laws; and the gods, indeed, according to the intelligible laws of morality, according to merit and worth, right and equity; fatum, according to the mysterious laws by which the universe is eternally governed, like εἱμαρμένη, μοῖρα. Tac. Hist. iv. 26. Quod in pace fors seu natura, tunc fatum et ira deorum vocabatur. (295.)
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | fātum | fāta |
| genitive | fātī | fātōrum |
| dative | fātō | fātīs |
| accusative | fātum | fāta |
| ablative | fātō | fātīs |
| vocative | fātum | fāta |
fātum, i (
I. masc. fatus malus meus, Petr. 42, 77), n. for II. A., that which is said, an utterance.—Hence,
I. Prop., a prophetic declaration, oracle, prediction (rare but class.): neque me Apollo fatis fandis dementem invitam ciet, Pac. ap. Cic. Div. 1, 31, 66 (Trag. v. 80 Vahl.):
Lentulum sibi confirmasse ex fatis Sibyllinis haruspicumque responsis se, etc., Cic. Cat. 3, 4, 9: eo fatis quae Veientes scripta haberent, id. Div. 1, 44, 100: fatis, ominibus oraculisque portendere, Liv. 29, 10 fin. Drak. N. cr.: Siculisne resideret arvis Oblitus factorum, Verg. A. 5, 703.—II. Transf.
A. In gen., that which is ordained, desting, fate; the εἱμαρμένη or μοῖρα of the Greeks (syn.:
fortuna, fors, sors, casus): nec ii, qui dicunt immutabilia esse, quae futura sint nec posse verum futurum convertere in falsum, fati necessitatem confirmant, sed verborum vim interpretantur. At qui introducunt causarum seriem sempiternam, ii mentem hominis voluntate libera spoliatam necessitate fati devinciunt, Cic. Fat. 9, 20 sq.; hence the philosophic use of the word to denote the eternal, immutable law of nature: fieri omnia fato, ratio cogit fateri. Fatum autem id appello, quod Graeci εἱμαρμένην, id est ordinem seriemque causarum, cum causa causae nexa rem ex se gignat, id. Div. 1, 55, 125 sq.; cf.: cum vos fato fieri dicatis omnia, quod autem semper ex omni aeternitate verum fuerit, id esse fatum, id. N. D. 3, 6, 14; and: cum duae sententiae fuissent veterum philosophorum, una eorum, qui censerent omnia ita fato fieri, ut id fatum vim necessitatis afferret; in qua sententia Democritus, Heraclitus, Empedocles, Aristoteles fuit: altera eorum, quibus viderentur sine ullo fato esse animorum motus voluntarii, id. Fat. 17, 39; cf. also: ex hoc genere causarum ex aeternitate pendentium fatum a Stoicis nectitur, id. Top. 15, 59; and: anile sane et plenum superstitionis fati nomen ipsum, id. Div. 2, 7, 19: si Daphitae fatum fuit ex equo cadere, id. Fat. 3, 5; cf. id. ib. 12, 28: cf.: neque si fatum fuerat, effugisset, id. Div. 2, 8, 20: ut praedici posset, quid cuique eventurum et quo quisque fato natus esset, id. ib. 1, 1, 2; quonam meo fato fieri dicam, ut, etc., id. Phil. 2, 1, 1: qua quidem in re singulari sum fato, I experience a remarkable fate, Caecin. ap. Cic. Fam. 6, 7, 1: si quid mihi humanitus accidisset multa autem impendere videntur praeter naturam etiam praeterque fatum, i. e. beyond the natural and appointed course of events, id. Phil. 1, 4, 10: quasi debita sibi fato dominatione, Suet. Aug. 19: persuasio, cuncta fato agi, id. Tib. 69: nisi dii immortales omni ratione placati suo numine prope fata ipsa flexissent, Cic. Cat. 3, 8, 19: orte Saturno, tibi cura magni Caesaris fatis data, Hor. C. 1, 12, 51: quo (Caesare) nihil majus meliusve terris Fata donavere bonique divi, id. ib. 4, 2, 38; id. Carm. Sec. 28: ut caneret fera Nereus Fata, id. C. 1, 15, 5; so, acerba, id. Epod. 7, 17: triste, id. S. 1, 9, 29: caeca, id. C. 2, 13, 16: plebeium in circo positum est fatum, the fate of the vulgar, Juv. 6, 588: fata regunt homines, id. 9, 32; 12, 63.—With ut: qui hoc fato natus est, ut, etc., Cic. Mil. 11, 30: fuit hoc sive meum sive rei publicae fatum, ut, etc., id. Balb. 26, 58.—With ne: eo fato se in iis terris collocatam esse arbitratur, ne, etc., Cic. Font. 16, 35.—B. Esp.
1. Of the will or determination of the gods:
heu stirpem invisam et fatis contraria nostris Fata Phrygum, Verg. A. 7, 293; 7, 50; cf. Non. 455, 25.—And also of that which determines the fate of a person or thing: Ilio tria fuisse audivi fata, quae illi forent exitio: signum ex arce si perisset; alterum, etc., Plaut. Bacch. 4, 9, 29; so, Herculis sagittae, quae fatum Trojae fuere, Just. 20, 1 fin.—Prov.: fata viam invenient, Verg. A. 3, 395; 10, 113.—Fāta, ōrum, n., personified as deities, the Fates, Prop. 4, 7, 51; Stat. Th. 8, 26; id. S. 5, 1, 259; Inscr. Orell. 1771 sq.—2. a.. Bad fortune, ill fate, calamity, mishap:
dictum facete et contumeliose in Metellos antiquum Naevii est: Fato Metelli Romae fiunt consules, Pseudo Ascon. ad Cic. Verr. 1, 10, 29 (p. 140 ed. Orell.); and, alluding to this verse: hoc Verrem dicere aiebant, te (sc. Metellum) non fato, ut ceteros ex vestra familia, sed opera sua consulem factum, id. ib. 10, 29: quibus ego confido impendere fatum aliquod et poenas jamdiu improbitati, nequitiae ... debitas instare, Cic. Cat. 2, 5, 11: exitii ac fati dies, id. ib. 3, 7, 17: abditi in tabernaculis aut suum fatum querebantur aut, etc., Caes. B. G. 1, 39, 4; cf. Caes. B. C. 2, 6, 1: quod si jam (quod dii omen avertant) fatum extremum rei publicae venit, Cic. Phil. 3, 14, 35: in illo paene fato rei publicae, id. Dom. 57, 145.— So, b. Esp. freq. of death:
sic Hortensii vox exstincta fato suo est, nostra publico, id. Brut. 96, 328; cf.: nolite hunc maturius exstingui vulnere vestro quam suo fato, id. Cael. 32, 79; cf.: omen fati, id. Phil. 9, 4, 6; and: quia nec fato merita nec morte peribat, Verg. A. 4, 696: ferro, non fato moerus Argivum (i. e. Achilles) occidit, Poët. ap. Quint. 8, 6, 10 Spald.: perfunctos jam fato = mortuos, Liv. 9, 1, 6; qui fato sunt functi, Quint. 3, 7, 10: fato cedere, Liv. 26, 13: fato concessit, Pl. Pan. 11, 3; for which: concedere in fatum, Modestin. Dig. 34, 3, 20: fato obiit, died a natural death, Tac. A. 6, 10: fato fungi, id. ib. 14, 12 fin.: ille (uxorem) functam fato respondet, id. ib. 11, 3: si me praeceperit fatum, Curt. 9, 6; Quint. 6, 2, 33.—In this sense sometimes in the plur.: jamdudum peccas, si mea fata petis, Ov. H. 19, 118; Minotauri, Mel. 2, 7: mea fata, my ashes, Prop. 1, 17, 11: sentiet vivus eam, quae post fata praestari magis solet, venerationem, Quint. 12, 17, 7: si me fata intercepissent, id. 6 praef. 1; cf.: (mater) acerbissimis rapta fatis, id. § 4; cf. the shades or spirits of the dead: cum fato jacentis, Mel. 2, 2.—3. Concr., one who brings calamity, a plague:
duo illa rei publicae paene fata, Gabinium et Pisonem, Cic. Sest. 43, 93.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
fātum ī, n
P. n. of * for, an utterance, prophetic declaration, oracle, prediction : Apollo fatis fandis dementem invitam ciet: ex fatis quae Veientes scripta haberent: Oblitus fatorum, V.— That which is ordained, destiny, fate : necessitas fati: fato fieri omnia: plenum superstitionis fati nomen: neque si fatum fuerat, effugisset: praeter fatum, beyond the natural course of events : tibi cura Caesaris fatis data, H.: Quo nihil maius terris Fata donavere, H.: caeca, H.: insuperabile, O.: fata regunt homines, Iu.: fatorum arcana, O.: fuit hoc sive meum sive rei p., ut, etc.: si fata fuissent, ut caderem, V.: eo fato ne, etc.: huic fato divōm proles Nulla fuit, i. e. will , V.: fatis contraria nostris Fata Phrygum, V.—Prov.: fata viam invenient, nothing can resist fate , V.— Bad fortune, ill fate, calamity, mishap, ruin : exiti ac fati dies: suum fatum querebantur, Cs.: extremum rei p.— Fate, death : Hortensi vox exstincta fato suo est: fato obire, Ta.: omen fati: inexorabile, V.: perfunctos iam fato, L.: se fati dixit iniqui, most unfortunate , O.: fatum proferre, i. e. to prolong life , V.: ad fata novissima, to the last , O.— A pest, plague, ruin : duo illa rei p. paene fata, Gabinius et Piso.— A symbol of fate : Attollens umero fata nepotum (represented on the shield), V.: fata inponit diversa duorum, the lots , V.—Person., The Fates , Pr., Iu.
Origins
From fātus, from for (“to speak”). Compare typologically Russian рок (rok, “fate, doom”) (< Proto-Slavic *rokъ (“time, term”), derived from *reťi (“to say, speak”)).
Ibero-Romance
- Portuguesefado
- Spanishhado
Italo-Romance
- Italianfato
Gallo-Romance
- Catalanfat
- Old Frenchfeie
Borrowings
- Englishfatefrom Middle English fate
- Albanianfat
- Cornishfeusfrom Proto-Brythonic *fọd
- Welshffawdfrom Proto-Brythonic *fọd