verbthird conjugation
lambō
lambō (present infinitive lambere, perfect active lambī, supine lambitum)
Classical[ˈɫam.boː]Ecclesiastical[ˈlam.bo]
Meaning
- to lick, lap
- broadlyto taste
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
linguā tangōlambō -ere — in IVLIANVS I: Gallia, ch. 17 and Metamorphoses I, ch. 4
leniter tangō (ut lingua)lambō -ere — in IVLIANVS III: Persia, ch. 23
Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms
Lambere · Lingere
Lambere means to lick, inasmuch as one uses the tongue, like the hand, as an instrument to take hold of, or to touch anything, whether eatable, and possessing a taste, or not; lingere (λείχειν) when one uses the tongue as the organ of the sense of taste, in order to ascertain the flavor of any thing. Plin. H. N. xxxv. 7. Canem ex ære vulnus suum lambentem; compare with xxxi. 4. Pecoribus saldatur lingendus. (v. 152.)
Conjugation conjugation 3
| form | present | imperfect | future | perfect | pluperfect | fut. perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | lambō | lambēbam | lambam | lambī | lamberam | lamberō |
| 2nd sg. | lambis | lambēbās | lambēs | lambistī | lamberās | lamberis |
| 3rd sg. | lambit | lambēbat | lambet | lambit | lamberat | lamberit |
| 1st pl. | lambimus | lambēbāmus | lambēmus | lambimus | lamberāmus | lamberimus |
| 2nd pl. | lambitis | lambēbātis | lambētis | lambistis | lamberātis | lamberitis |
| 3rd pl. | lambunt | lambēbant | lambent | lambērunt lambēre, lambuērunt | lamberant lambuerant | lamberint lambuerint |
active subjunctive
| form | present | imperfect | perfect | pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | lambam | lamberem | lamberim | lambissem |
| 2nd sg. | lambās | lamberēs | lamberīs | lambissēs |
| 3rd sg. | lambat | lamberet | lamberit | lambisset |
| 1st pl. | lambāmus | lamberēmus | lamberīmus | lambissēmus |
| 2nd pl. | lambātis | lamberētis | lamberītis | lambissētis |
| 3rd pl. | lambant | lamberent | lamberint lambuerint | lambissent |
passive indicative
| form | present | imperfect | future |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | lambor | lambēbar | lambar |
| 2nd sg. | lamberis lambere | lambēbāris lambēbāre | lambēris lambēre |
| 3rd sg. | lambitur | lambēbātur | lambētur |
| 1st pl. | lambimur | lambēbāmur | lambēmur |
| 2nd pl. | lambiminī | lambēbāminī | lambēminī |
| 3rd pl. | lambuntur | lambēbantur | lambentur |
passive subjunctive
| form | present | imperfect |
|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | lambar | lamberer |
| 2nd sg. | lambāris lambāre | lamberēris lamberēre |
| 3rd sg. | lambātur | lamberētur |
| 1st pl. | lambāmur | lamberēmur |
| 2nd pl. | lambāminī | lamberēminī |
| 3rd pl. | lambantur | lamberentur |
imperative
| form | active | passive |
|---|---|---|
| pres. 2nd sg. | lambe | lambere |
| pres. 2nd pl. | lambite | lambiminī |
| fut. 2nd sg. | lambitō | lambitor |
| fut. 3rd sg. | lambitō | lambitor |
| fut. 2nd pl. | lambitōte | — |
| fut. 3rd pl. | lambuntō | lambuntor |
infinitives & participles
| form | active | passive |
|---|---|---|
| present infinitive | lambere | lambī |
| perfect infinitive | lambisse | lambitum esse |
| future infinitive | lambitūrum esse | lambitum īrī |
| present participle | lambēns | — |
| perfect participle | — | lambitus lambita, lambitā, lambitae, lambitam, lambitārum, lambitās, lambitī, lambitōrum, lambitōs |
| future participle | lambitūrus lambitūra, lambitūrā, lambitūrae, lambitūram, lambitūrārum, lambitūrās, lambitūre, lambitūrī, lambitūrīs, lambitūrō, lambitūrōrum, lambitūrōs, lambitūrum | lambendus lambundus, lambenda, lambendā, lambendae, lambendam, lambendārum, lambendās, lambende, lambendīs, lambendōrum, lambendōs |
gerundlambendī, lambendō, lambendumsupinelambitum, lambitū
lambo, bi, bitum (
I. perf. lambuerunt, Vulg. Jud. 7, 7 al.), 3, v. a. root lap-; Gr. λάπτω, λαφύσσω; Lat. labrum, labium; Germ. Löffel, spoon; Eng. lip, to lick, lap; to touch (class.; cf.: lingo, sugo, ligurio).
I. Lit.:
hi canes, quos tribunal meum vides lambere, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 11, § 28: lagonae collum, Phaedr. 1, 25, 10: lambent cibos (pisces), Col. 8, 17, 11: manum, Mart. 4, 30, 4: sanguinem, Plin. Pan. 48, 3: crustula, Juv. 9, 5: jucundasque puer qui lamberat ore placentas, Lucil. ap. Prisc. 10, 3, 14: lambent sanguinem, to lick up, to lap, Vulg. 3 Reg. 21, 9; cf. id. Judic. 7, 5 al.: te gurgite mersum unda feret, piscesque inpastivulnera lambent, Verg. A. 10, 560.—II. Transf., of a river, to flow by, to wash, bathe:
vel quae loca fabulosus Lambit Hydaspes, washes, Hor. C. 1, 22, 7.—Of fire, to lick, to reach, play upon: flamma summum properabat lambere tectum, Hor. S. 1, 5, 73: innoxia mollis Lambere flamma comas (Iuli), Verg. A. 2, 684: Aetna attollit globos flammarum et sidera lambit, id. ib. 3, 574.—Of the ivy: quorum imagines lambunt hederae sequaces, to encircle, Pers. prol. 5: Tedia non lambit Cluviam, caress, fondle, Juv. 2, 49: tribunal unius legati, to fawn upon, court, Amm. 15, 3, 3.—In mal. part., Aus. Ep. 120, 1 et saep.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
lambō —, —, ere
1 LAB-, to lick, lap, touch : hi canes, quos tribunal meum vides lambere: lagonae collum, Ph.: manūs, O.: crustula, Iu.: volnera, V.— To flow by, wash, bathe, lick, play upon : quae loca Lambit Hydaspes, washes , H.: Aetna Attollit globos flammarum et sidera lambit, V.: Cluviam, fondles , Iu.
Origins
From Proto-Indo-European *lh₂-m-b(ʰ)-, from Proto-Indo-European *leh₂b-, used to indicate licking or lip-smacking; see also Old English lapian (“to lick, lap up, suck”), Ancient Greek λάπτω (láptō, “to lick, sip”).
Descendants
- Italianlambire
- Italianlambere
- Portugueselamber
- Spanishlamer
- Spanishlamber
- Catalanllaminarfrom Vulgar Latin *lambinare
- Asturianllamber
- Galicianlamber
- Aragoneselaminarfrom Vulgar Latin *lambinare
In English words that came into English from lambō
- lampreylampreda
- limpetlampreda
- lambentlambēns