LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
verbfourth conjugation

inveniō

inveniō (present infinitive invenīre, perfect active invēnī, supine inventum)
Classical[ɪnˈwɛ.ni.oː]Ecclesiastical[iɱˈvɛː.ni.o]
№ 316 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. to find
  2. to discover, find out, learn
  3. to come upon, meet with
  4. to invent, to devise
  5. to get, acquire, earn

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

quod quaerēbam reperiō; quī invēnit, gaudet!
inveniō -īre invēnī — in Mille Verba, Schola

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Invenire · Reperire · Deprehendere · Nancisci · Adipisci · Consequi · Assequi

Invenire denotes, as a general term, to find; reperire and deprehendere suppose a previous concealment of the thing found, and an intention, and pains employed on the part of the finder; but the reperiens (from πεπαρεῖν) merely discovers what was concealed, and now lies before his eyes, like ἀνευρεῖν; the deprehendens, what desired to hide itself, or to escape, and now is in his power. Tac. Ann. i. 74. Perniciem aliis ac postremo sibi invenere: comp. with xiv. 3. Cædes quonam modo occultaretur nemo reperit. 2. Invenire, reperire, deprehendere, imply a concealed object, which is discovered; whereas nancisci, adipisci, assequi, and consequi, only a distant object, which is reached; the nanciscens (from ἐνεγκέσθαι) arrives at his object with or without trouble, sometimes even against his wish, as to light upon; the adipiscens (from potiri) only by exertion, as to achieve; the consequens arrives at the object of his wish with or without assistance; the assequens, at the object of his endeavors, by means of exertion. Suet. Tib. 10. Titus ad primam statim mansionem febrim nactus: comp. with Dom. 15. Nero in adipiscenda morte manu Epaphroditi adjutus est. Cic. Att. x. 12. Nactus Curionem omnia me consecutum putavi. Rosc. Com. 4. Ut neque nihil neque tantum quantum postulavimus consequamur. In Cic. Mil. 11. Nihil dico quid resp. consecuta sit, nihil quod vos, nihil quod omnes boni; namely, by the death of Clodius, to which certainly nobody but Milo had contributed; assecuta sit could not be substituted; and, on the other hand, in Sen. Brev. 17. Operose assequuntur quæ volunt, anxii tenent quæ assecuti sunt; the word consequuntur would be too weak. Cic. Fam. i. 7, 10. Omnia quæ ne per populum quidem sine seditione assequi arbitrabantur, per senatum consecuti sunt. (iii. 142.)

Conjugation conjugation 4

active indicative
formpresentimperfectfutureperfectpluperfectfut. perfect
1st sg.inveniōinveniēbaminveniaminvēnīinvēneraminvēnerō
2nd sg.invenīsinveniēbāsinveniēsinvēnistīinvēnerāsinvēneris
3rd sg.invenitinveniēbatinvenietinvēnitinvēneratinvēnerit
1st pl.invenīmusinveniēbāmusinveniēmusinvēnimusinvēnerāmusinvēnerimus
2nd pl.invenītisinveniēbātisinveniētisinvēnistisinvēnerātisinvēneritis
3rd pl.inveniuntinveniēbantinvenientinvēnērunt
invēnēre
invēnerantinvēnerint
active subjunctive
active subjunctive
formpresentimperfectperfectpluperfect
1st sg.inveniaminvenīreminvēneriminvēnissem
2nd sg.inveniāsinvenīrēsinvēnerīsinvēnissēs
3rd sg.inveniatinvenīretinvēneritinvēnisset
1st pl.inveniāmusinvenīrēmusinvēnerīmusinvēnissēmus
2nd pl.inveniātisinvenīrētisinvēnerītisinvēnissētis
3rd pl.inveniantinvenīrentinvēnerintinvēnissent
passive indicative
passive indicative
formpresentimperfectfuture
1st sg.inveniorinveniēbarinveniar
2nd sg.invenīris
invenīre
inveniēbāris
inveniēbāre
inveniēris
inveniēre
3rd sg.invenīturinveniēbāturinveniētur
1st pl.invenīmurinveniēbāmurinveniēmur
2nd pl.invenīminīinveniēbāminīinveniēminī
3rd pl.inveniunturinveniēbanturinvenientur
passive subjunctive
passive subjunctive
formpresentimperfect
1st sg.inveniarinvenīrer
2nd sg.inveniāris
inveniāre
invenīrēris
invenīrēre
3rd sg.inveniāturinvenīrētur
1st pl.inveniāmurinvenīrēmur
2nd pl.inveniāminīinvenīrēminī
3rd pl.invenianturinvenīrentur
imperative
imperative
formactivepassive
pres. 2nd sg.invenīinvenīre
pres. 2nd pl.invenīteinvenīminī
fut. 2nd sg.invenītōinvenītor
fut. 3rd sg.invenītōinvenītor
fut. 2nd pl.invenītōte—
fut. 3rd pl.inveniuntōinveniuntor
infinitives & participles
infinitives & participles
formactivepassive
present infinitiveinvenīreinvenīrī
perfect infinitiveinvēnisseinventum esse
future infinitiveinventūrum esseinventum īrī
present participleinveniēns
inveniente, invenientem, invenientēs, invenientī, invenientia, invenientibus, invenientis, invenientīs, invenientium
—
perfect participle—inventus
inventa, inventā, inventae, inventam, inventārum, inventās, invente, inventī, inventīs, inventō, inventōrum, inventōs
future participleinventūrus
inventūra, inventūrā, inventūrae, inventūram, inventūrārum, inventūrās, inventūre, inventūrī, inventūrīs, inventūrō, inventūrōrum, inventūrōs, inventūrum
inveniendus
inveniundus
gerundinveniendī, inveniendō, inveniendumsupineinventum, inventū

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

decreta, inventa philosophorum
the tenets, dogmas of philosophers.

in-vĕnĭo, vēni, ventum, 4, v. a. (
I. fut. invenibit for inveniet, Pompon. ap. Non. p. 479, 28), lit., to come or light upon a thing; to find, meet with (cf.: reperio, offendo).
I. Lit.: neque domi, neque in urbe invenio quemquam, qui illum viderit, Plaut. Am. 4, 1, 2; id. Aul. 4, 2, 13; cf. id. Stich. 1, 2, 53: in agro populabundum hostem, Liv. 3, 4, 7: Scipio mortuus in cubiculo inventus est, id. Epit. 59 fin.: naves reliquas paratas ad navigandum invenit, Caes. B. G. 5, 5: tolerabiles oratores, Cic. de Or. 1, 2: scis, Pamphilam meam inventam civem? is found to be a citizen's daughter, Ter. Eun. 5, 9, 6. —Sup.: pleraque inventu rara ac difficilia, Plin. 28, 1, 1, § 1; so Gell. 17, 12, 2. —
II. Trop.
A. To find out, to invent, effect: quandam fallaciam, Ter. Heaut. 3, 3, 35: perniciem aliis, ac postremo sibi, Tac. A. 1, 74.—Of an orator's faculty of invention: tanta in eo inveniendi copia et eloquendi facultas, Quint. 10, 1, 69: multa divinitus a majoribus nostris inventa atque instituta sunt, Auct. Or. pro Dom. 1.—
B. To find out, discover, ascertain, learn: inveniebat ex captivis, Sabim flumen ab suis castris non amplius milia passuum decem abesse, Caes. B. G. 2, 16: conjurationem, Cic. Cat. 3, 7: apud auctores invenio eodem anno descisse Antiates, Liv. 3, 23; 9, 45—
C. To find out, invent, devise, contrive how to do a thing: ille quomodo crimen commenticium confirmaret, non inveniebat, Cic. Rosc. Am. 15, 42: Venus inveniet puero succumbere furtim, i. e. will find out a way, Tib. 1 (8), 9, 35.—
D. To acquire, get, earn: ut facillume Sine invidia laudem invenias, Ter. And. 1, 1, 39: qui primus hoc cognomen invenit, Cic. Fin. 1, 7, 23: ex quo illi gloria opesque inventae, Sall. J. 70, 2: laudem, Just. 3, 7, 10; cf.: gratiam apud aliquem, Vulg. Luc. 1, 30.—
E. With se.
1. To show itself, appear: postquam se dolor invenit, Ov. H. 15, 113.—
2. To be at home in any thing: minus se inveniunt, i. e. are perplexed, Sen. Ben. 5, 12, 6: nec medici se inveniunt, Petr. 47.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*énu
  2. Latininveniō

Proto-Indo-European *gʷem- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *gʷm̥yéti Proto-Italic *gʷəniō Latin veniō Latin inveniō From in- (“after”) + veniō (“come”).

Borrowings
  • Englishinvent
  • Frenchinventer
  • Portugueseinventar
  • Spanishinvenir
  • Spanishinventar
Italo-Romance
  • Italianinvenire
  • Italianinventare
  • Corsicanimbènesi
  • Venetaninventar
Insular Romance
  • Sardinianimbennere
Elsewhere
  • Old Frenchenvenguzfrom Vulgar Latin *invenūtus

Quick answers

What does inveniō mean in Latin?
inveniō, a verb, means “to find; to discover, find out, learn; to come upon, meet with”.
What are the principal parts of inveniō?
inveniō, invenīre, invēnī, inventum (fourth conjugation).
How do you pronounce inveniō?
In classical Latin, [ɪnˈwɛ.ni.oː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [iɱˈvɛː.ni.o].
Where does inveniō come from?
Proto-Indo-European *énu → Latin inveniō.