LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
verbfirst conjugation

firmō

firmō (present infinitive firmāre, perfect active firmāvī, supine firmātum)
Classical[ˈfɪr.moː]Ecclesiastical[ˈfir.mo]

Meaning

  1. to make firm, strengthen, harden, fortify
  2. to say, affirm, assert
  3. to reinforce the courage
  4. to consolidate, ensure, assure
  5. to confirm, approve, guarantee

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

Conjugation conjugation 1

active indicative
formpresentimperfectfutureperfectpluperfectfut. perfect
1st sg.firmōfirmābamfirmābōfirmāvīfirmāveramfirmāverō
firmārō
2nd sg.firmāsfirmābāsfirmābisfirmāvistī
firmāstī		firmāverās
firmārās		firmāveris
3rd sg.firmatfirmābatfirmābitfirmāvitfirmāverat
firmārat		firmāverit
firmārit
1st pl.firmāmusfirmābāmusfirmābimusfirmāvimusfirmāverāmusfirmāverimus
firmārimus
2nd pl.firmātisfirmābātisfirmābitisfirmāvistis
firmāstis		firmāverātis
firmārātis		firmāveritis
firmāritis
3rd pl.firmantfirmābantfirmābuntfirmāvērunt
firmāvēre, firmārunt		firmāverant
firmārant		firmāverint
firmārint
active subjunctive
active subjunctive
formpresentimperfectperfectpluperfect
1st sg.firmemfirmāremfirmāverim
firmārim		firmāvissem
firmāssem
2nd sg.firmēsfirmārēsfirmāverīsfirmāvissēs
firmāssēs
3rd sg.firmetfirmāretfirmāverit
firmārit		firmāvisset
firmāsset
1st pl.firmēmusfirmārēmusfirmāverīmus
firmārīmus		firmāvissēmus
firmāssēmus
2nd pl.firmētisfirmārētisfirmāverītis
firmārītis		firmāvissētis
firmāssētis
3rd pl.firmentfirmārentfirmāverint
firmārint		firmāvissent
firmāssent
passive indicative
passive indicative
formpresentimperfectfuture
1st sg.firmorfirmābarfirmābor
2nd sg.firmāris
firmāre		firmābāris
firmābāre		firmāberis
firmābere
3rd sg.firmāturfirmābāturfirmābitur
1st pl.firmāmurfirmābāmurfirmābimur
2nd pl.firmāminīfirmābāminīfirmābiminī
3rd pl.firmanturfirmābanturfirmābuntur
passive subjunctive
passive subjunctive
formpresentimperfect
1st sg.firmerfirmārer
2nd sg.firmēris
firmēre		firmārēris
firmārēre
3rd sg.firmēturfirmārētur
1st pl.firmēmurfirmārēmur
2nd pl.firmēminīfirmārēminī
3rd pl.firmenturfirmārentur
imperative
imperative
formactivepassive
pres. 2nd sg.firmāfirmāre
pres. 2nd pl.firmātefirmāminī
fut. 2nd sg.firmātōfirmātor
fut. 3rd sg.firmātōfirmātor
fut. 2nd pl.firmātōte—
fut. 3rd pl.firmantōfirmantor
infinitives & participles
infinitives & participles
formactivepassive
present infinitivefirmārefirmārī
perfect infinitivefirmāvisse
firmāsse		firmātum esse
future infinitivefirmātūrum essefirmātum īrī
present participlefirmāns—
perfect participle—firmātus
firmāta, firmātā, firmātae, firmātam, firmātārum, firmātās, firmātī, firmātōrum, firmātōs
future participlefirmātūrus
firmātūra, firmātūrā, firmātūrae, firmātūram, firmātūrārum, firmātūrās, firmātūre, firmātūrī, firmātūrīs, firmātūrō, firmātūrōrum, firmātūrōs, firmātūrum		firmandus
firmanda, firmandā, firmandae, firmandam, firmandārum, firmandās, firmande, firmandīs, firmandōrum, firmandōs
gerundfirmandī, firmandō, firmandumsupinefirmātum, firmātū

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

praesidiis firmare urbem
to garrison a town.
castra praesidiis firmare
to strengthen the camp by outposts.
corroborata, firmata aetate
having reached man's estate.
aetas constans, media, firmata, corroborata (not virilis)
manhood.

firmo, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. firmus,
I. to make firm or fast, to strengthen, fortify, support (freq. and class.).
I. Lit.: lacertos, Lucr. 6, 397: corpora juvenum firmari labore voluerunt, Cic. Tusc. 2, 15, 36: corpora cibo, Liv. 27, 13 fin.: vexatos milites quiete, Curt. 9, 10: praegnantes largo pascuo, Col. 6, 27, 10: bitumen aeramentis illinitur firmatque ea contra ignes, Plin. 35, 15, 51, § 182: remedium ad dentium mobilĭs firmandos, id. 21, 31, 105, § 180: aestuaria aggeribus et pontibus, Tac. A. 4, 73: vestigia, Verg. A. 3, 659: gradum, Quint. 9, 4, 129: alvum solutam, to bind, Cels. 1, 3; Plin. 14, 18, 22, § 117.—
II. Trop.
A. In gen., to fortify, strengthen, secure; to make lasting, durable, permanent: (Romulus) urbem auspicato condere, et firmare dicitur primum cogitavisse rem publicam, Cic. Rep. 2, 3; cf.: urbem colonis firmare, id. ib. 2, 18; so, novam civitatem, id. ib. 2, 7: provinciam pace praesidiisque, id. Fam. 1, 7, 4: locum magnis munitionibus, Caes. B. G. 6, 29, 3: turres praesidiis, Sall. J. 23, 1: aditum urbis, Verg. A. 11, 466: aciem subsidiis, Liv. 9, 17, 15: latronum opes firmare atque augere, Cic. Off. 2, 11, 40; in aliquos imperium, id. Sull. 11, 32: vocem, id. de Or. 3, 61, 227: firmari consuetudine, Quint. 11, 3, 24: quorum (hominum) cum adolescentiae cupiditates defervissent, eximiae virtutes firmata jam aetate exstiterunt, Cic. Cael. 18, 43; cf.: animus adolescentis nondum consilio ac ratione firmatus, id. Clu. 6, 13: firmata stirpe virtutis, id. Cael. 32, 79: pacem amicitiamque, Liv. 9, 3, 10: memoria praecipue firmatur atque alitur exercitatione, Quint. 1, 1, 36; so, memoriam, id. 2, 4, 15: opinio omnium gentium firmata consensu, Cic. Div. 1, 1, 1: non tamen pro firmato stetit magistratus ejus jus, Liv. 4, 7, 3.—
B. In partic.
1. To strengthen in resolution, to encourage, animate: cujus adventus Pompeianos compressit nostrosque firmavit, ut, etc., Caes. B. C. 3, 65, 2: donec firmaret consilio patres auctor, Hor. C. 3, 5, 46: suos, Just. 2, 11: plebem hinc provocatione, hinc tribunicio auxilio, Liv. 3, 55: cunctos alloquio et cura sibique et proelio, Tac. A. 1, 71: animum exemplis, id. ib. 16, 35: animum praesenti pignore, Verg. A. 3, 611: firmatus animi, Sall. Hist. Fragm. 3, 24, p. 236 ed. Gerl. (ap. Arus. Mess. p. 232 ed. Lindem.).—
2. In fidelity, to make sure of, secure: civitates obsidibus, Hirt. B. G. 8, 27.—
3. to confirm, show, prove; to affirm, assert, declare, promise the correctness or truth of a circumstance, statement, etc. (less freq. than confirmo, affirmo): cum intelligat, quam multa firmentur jure jurando, Cic. Leg. 2, 7, 16: si vis et natura fati ex divinationis ratione firmabitur, id. Fat. 5, 11: firmatam dare fidem, Plaut. Mil. 2, 5, 45; so, fidem, Ter. And. 3, 1, 4; id. Hec. 4, 2, 5: vix quidquam firmare ausim, Tac. A. 1, 81; 6, 6; id. H. 2, 9: hoc genus in rebus firmandum est multa prius quam Ipsius rei rationem reddere possis, to prove, Lucr. 6, 917: da augurium, atque haec omina firma, Verg. A. 2, 691; so, numina, id. ib. 8, 78.—
(b). With object-clauses: seque et ibi futurum, ubi praescripserit et ea facturum, quae imperarit obsidibus datis firmat, Hirt. B. G. 8, 48, 9; cf.: paratis omnium animis reversuros firmaverunt, Tac. H. 2, 9: firmare necesse est, nil esse in promptu, etc., Lucr. 6, 940.—In pass. with a subject-clause: sata bene provenire firmantur, Pall. 11, 12.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*dʰer-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*dʰermos
  3. Proto-Italic*θermos
  4. Proto-Italic*fermos
  5. Latinfirmō

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin firmō From firmus + -ō.

Descendants
  • Catalanfermar
  • Catalanfirmar
  • Englishfirm
  • Italianfermare
  • Italianfirmare
  • Frenchfermerfrom Old French fermer
  • Portuguesefirmar
  • Spanishhirmar
  • Spanishfirmar
  • Asturianfirmar

In English words that came into English from firmō

  • firmamentfirmāmentum
  • confirmconfirmo
  • firmfirmō
  • affirmaffirmare
  • confirmationcōnfirmātiō
  • affirmationaffirmare
  • affirmativeaffirmativus
  • affirmantaffirmans
  • affirmatumaffirmatum
  • affirmatioaffirmātiō

Quick answers

What does firmō mean in Latin?
firmō, a verb, means “to make firm, strengthen, harden, fortify; to say, affirm, assert; to reinforce the courage”.
What are the principal parts of firmō?
firmō, firmāre, firmāvī, firmātum (first conjugation).
How do you pronounce firmō?
In classical Latin, [ˈfɪr.moː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈfir.mo].
Where does firmō come from?
Proto-Indo-European *dʰer- → Proto-Indo-European *dʰermos → Proto-Italic *θermos → Proto-Italic *fermos → Latin firmō.
Which English words come from firmō?
English words that go back to Latin firmō include firm, firmament, confirm, affirm, affirmation and affirmant.