LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
adverb

hūc

hūc (not comparable)
Classical[ˈhuːk]Ecclesiastical[ˈuk]
№ 368 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. not comparableto this, to this (alone), to (only) this subject/matter; for this (alone), for this (one) thing
    Huc pertinet nobile apud Graecos volumen Heraclidis septem diebus feminae exanimis ad vitam revocatae.To this (subject) pertains the book of Heraclides, famous in Greece, about seven days of deceased women recalled to life.77 CE, Gaius Plinius Secundus, Naturalis Historiae Liber VII
  2. not comparableto/at (precisely) this place, hither, here
    Immo etiam prius. Nam jam huc adveniet miles.Aye, even before that. For soon he shall arrive here (at this place) as a soldier.late 3rd century BCE, Titus Maccius Plautus, Bacchides
    Cur non illam huc transferri iubes?Why don't you command her to be brought hither?166 BCE, Publius Terentius Afer, The Girl from Andros
  3. not comparableto (merely) this point in time, thus far, so far
    In quamcumque domus adverti lumina partem, inmensae spectantur opes; accedit eodem digna dea facies; huc natas adice septem et totidem iuvenes et mox generosque nurusque!Within my court, where-e'er I turn my eyes,/ Unbounded treasures to my prospect rise:/ With these my face I modestly may name,/ As not unworthy of so high a claim;/ Seven thus far are my filles, of form divine,/ With seven fair sons, an indefective line.8 CE, Publius Ovidius Naso, Metamorphoses
  4. not comparableto (solely) this end, for (just) this purpose, for (none other than) this reason, that, so that, in order that
    Rubrum quoque emplastrum, quod Ephesium vocatur, huc aptum est.The red plaster, that called Ephesian, is also suitable for this purpose.c. 40 CE, Aulus Cornelius Celsus, De Medicina Liber V, Caput XIX "De Emplastris"
    Ac ne adsiduos in domum coetus arcendo infringeret potentiam aut receptando facultatem criminantibus praeberet, huc flexit ut Tiberium ad vitam procul Roma amoenis locis degendam impelleret.Nevertheless, that he might not impair his influence by closing his doors on the throngs of his many visitors or strengthen the hands of accusers by admitting them, he made it his aim to induce Tiberius to live in some charming spot at a distance from Rome.c. 110 CE, Publius Cornelius Tacitus, Annales Liber IV, 41
  5. not comparablein a disorderly manner: to this and to that, hither and thither, from pillar to post, from post to pillar, helter-skelter, willy-nilly, chaotically, haphazardly; in a reciprocating manner: to here and to there, hither and thither, back and forth, to and fro, by turns, alternately, alternatingly
  6. not comparablebesides, additionally

In the readers how our graded readers gloss it

to here
hūc — in Seneca, ch. VIII

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

huc (et) illuc
hither and thither.
omnia verba huc redeunt
all this means to say.

huc (old form hoc, like illoc, istoc, Plaut. Capt. 3, 1, 19; id. Truc. 2, 2, 27 et saep.; Ter. Eun. 3, 2, 48; Planc. ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 21, 5; Cic. Brut. 11, 10, 3; Nep. Phoc. 3, 3; Verg. A. 8, 423; Petr. 39; Inscr. Orell. 4394; 4471; 4814; cf. Serv. ad Verg. A. l. l.), adv.,
I. to this place, hither, = δεῦρο.
I. Lit.: imus huc, illuc hinc: cum illuc ventum est, ire illinc lubet, etc., Enn. ap. Gell. 19, 10, 12 (Trag. v. 258 Vahl.): huc illinc venire, Ter. Ad. 4, 5, 39: jam huc adveniet miles, Plaut. Bacch. 2, 2, 44: pater huc me misit ad vos oratum meus, id. Am. prol. 20: quin huc ad vos venire propero? Cic. Rep. 6, 15: hinc profecti huc revertuntur, id. ib. 6, 13 fin.: huc raro in urbem commeat, Ter. Hec. 1, 2, 100: te huc foras seduxi, Plaut. Aul. 2, 1, 14: huc est intro latus lectus, Ter. Heaut. 5, 1, 30: huc huc convenite, Petr. 23: huc mecum, Epidauria proles, huc, alti gaudens, Stat. S. 1, 4, 62: locus erat castrorum editus, huc magno cursu contenderunt, Caes. B. G. 3, 19, 1; cf. id. ib. 4, 21, 4: ubi arma esse sciam, huc veniam, Liv. 35, 19, 4: sic inde huc omnes currunt, Juv. 3, 308.—Pregn., with verbs expressing state or action after motion (poet.): huc ades, o formose puer, Verg. E. 2, 45; 7, 9; 9, 39: huc ager ille malus dulcesque a fontibus undae ad plenum calcentur, id. G. 2, 243; Stat. Th. 4, 54; id. S. 1, 3, 72: sed huc qua gratia te arcessi jussi, ausculta, Ter. Eun. 1, 2, 19; cf.: huc propius me vos ordine adite, Hor. S. 2, 3, 80; Tib. 1, 7, 49.—
B. With gen.: mulier ex Andro commigravit huc viciniae, into this neighborhood, Ter. And. 1, 1, 43 Fleck., Umpfenbach (dub.; cf. Non. p. 499; Prisc. II. p. 187; Hand, Turs. III. p. 107; cf. II. B. infra).—
C. Huc illuc, huc atque illuc, huc et illuc, etc.; also: huc et illo and huc et huc, hither and thither: ne cursem huc illuc via deterrima, Cic. Att. 9, 9, 2: velut salientes huc illuc, Quint. 10, 7, 6: dum huc illuc signa vertunt, Liv. 7, 34, 9: cum huc atque illuc signa transferrent, id. 5, 8, 8: huc atque illuc intuentem vagari, Cic. de Or. 1, 40, 184: tum huc, tum illuc volant alites, id. Div. 1, 53, 120; cf.: volucres huc et illuc passim vagantes, id. ib. 2, 38, 80; Cels. 2, 15: huc illucque, Plin. 37, 6, 22, § 83 (Jan., ex illo): huc illucve, Cels. 6, 6, 36; 7, 3 al.: ista sidera huc et illo diducet velocitas sua, Sen. Ben. 5, 6 med.: ut ora vertat huc et huc euntium Liberrima indignatio, Hor. Epod. 4, 9.—
D. Huc usque, or in one word, hucusque, hitherto, thus far (very rare): hucusque Sesostris exercitum duxit, Plin. 6, 29, 34, § 174.—
II. Transf., in non-local relations, hither, to this, to these, to this point, so far: ut haec multo ante meditere, huc te pares, haec cogites, ad haec te exerceas, Cic. Fam. 1, 7, 9: accedat huc suavitas quaedam oportet sermonis, Cic. Lael. 18, 66; so freq., huc accedit, etc.; v. accedo: Massilienses naves longas expediunt numero XVII. Multa huc minora navigia addunt, add to these, Caes. B. C. 1, 56, 1; so freq., adde huc; v. addo: legiones effecerat civium Romanorum IX., etc ... Huc Dardanos, etc., adjecerat, id. ib. 3, 4 fin.: huc natas adice septem, Ov. M. 6, 182: huc pertinet nobile apud Graecos volumen Heraclidis, Plin. 7, 52, 53, § 175 et saep.—Hence, like eo, followed by ut with subj.: huc unius mulieris libidinem esse prolapsum, ut, etc., Cic. Cael. 20, 47; cf.: rem huc deduxi, ut, etc., id. Cat. 2, 2, 4: huc flexit, ut, etc., Tac. A. 4, 41: rem Romanam huc satietate gloriae provectam, ut, etc., id. ib. 12, 11: huc cecidisse Germanici exercitus gloriam, ut, etc., id. H. 3, 13.—
B. So, like eo, with gen.: huc arrogantiae venerat, ut, etc., Tac. A. 3, 73: huc deductum necessitatis, ut, etc., Val. Max. 8, 1 ext. 6; cf. above, I. B.—
C. Huc et illuc: versare suam naturam et regere ad tempus atque huc et illuc torquere ac flectere, Cic. Cael. 6, 13: huc et illuc rapit, id. Off. 1, 28, 101: verses te huc atque illuc necesse est, id. Fin. 5, 28, 86; cf.: dum in dubio est animus, paulo momento huc vel illuc impellitur, Ter. And. 1, 5, 31.—
D. Huc usque or hucusque, to such an extent, to such a point or pitch (cf. Krebs, Antibarb. p. 530 sq.): mirum esset profecto, hucusque profectam credulitatem antiquorum, Plin. 26, 4, 9, § 20: exercitum duxit, id. 6, 29, 34, § 174: simulatio hucusque procedit ut, etc., Quint. 5, 13, 22.—
E. With the demonstr. ce, and the interrog part. ne, hucine? hitherto? to this? so far? hucine tandem omnia reciderunt, ut civis Romanus virgis caederetur? Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 63, § 163: hucine. Micipsa pater, beneficia tua evasere, Sall. J. 14, 9.—And with gen.: hucine rerum Venimus? Pers. 3, 15. —
F. To this end, for this purpose (postclass.): rubrum quoque emplastrum, quod Ephesium vocatur, huc aptum est, Cels. 5, 19, 21.

Origins

Probably from the Old Latin locative hoi + -ce, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰe and Proto-Indo-European *ḱe (“here”), according to De Vaan (2008). Compare the mostly pre-Classical hōc (“to this place, for this reason”), which De Vaan says is from an instrumental case form. Compare the same alternation between illūc and the older illōc. See also hinc.

Quick answers

What does hūc mean in Latin?
hūc, a adverb, means “to this, to this (alone), to (only) this subject/matter; for this (alone), for this (one) thing; to/at (precisely) this place, hither, here”.
How do you pronounce hūc?
In classical Latin, [ˈhuːk]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈuk].