LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinesecond declension

locus

locus m (genitive locī)
Classical[ˈɫɔ.kʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈlɔː.kus]
№ 62 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. masculineplace (referring to a specific location)
    aliquem in alicuius locum substituereto put someone in place of another
    c. 190 BCE – 185 BCE, Plautus, Amphitruo 2.1.565–8:hypotactic.com AMPHITRUŌ: Tūn mē, verberō, audēs erum lūdificārī? Tūne id dīcere audēs, quod nēmō umquam homō antehāc vīdit nec potest fīerī, tempore ūnō homō īdem duōbus locīs ut simul sit? AMPHITRUO: You scoundrel; you dare to play tricks on me? You dare to claim something which no man has seen before, as it cannot be done, that oneman can be in two places at the same time?
  2. masculinea passage of literature
  3. masculineopportunity; cause; occasion; grounds
  4. in pluralmasculineneutersingulara region or general geographic area

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

a place
locus — in Seneca, ch. VIII

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Locus · Tractus · Regio · Plaga

Locus (λόχος) denotes a space, as a single point, like τόπος; tractus (from trahere) as a line, with the notion of extension to a distance, as a tract of country, something like κλίμα; regio (from ῥῆχος, ὄρχος,) as a circle, with the included notion of the environs, like the surrounding country, χῶρος; plaga (πλάξ) principally as a surface or plain.

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativelocuslocī
loca, locora
genitivelocīlocōrum
dativelocōlocīs
accusativelocumlocōs
loca, locora
ablativelocōlocīs
vocativelocelocī
loca
locativelocī—

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

situs loci
the situation of a place.
natura loci
the natural position of a place.
loci melici
the lyric portions of a tragedy.
petere locum
to go to a place
loca inculta
uncultivated districts.
loco excedere
to abandon one's position.
loca longinqua
distant places.
summo loco natus
of high rank.
52 more phrases
infimo loco natus
from the lowest classes.
fulmen locum tetigit
the lightning has struck somewhere.
loca edita, superiora
heights, high ground.
multis rebus or locis
in many respects; in many points.
locum dare suspicioni
to give ground for suspicion.
capere, occupare locum
to occupy a position (with troops).
scriptor hoc loco dicit
our (not noster) author tells us at this point.
omnes philosophiae loci
the whole domain of philosophy.
quo loco res tuae sunt?
how are you getting on?
occupare loca superiora
to occupy the high ground.
non est hic locus, ut...
this is not the place to...
non est huius loci c. Inf.
this is not the place to...
decedere loco, de, ex loco
to quit a place for ever.
loca plana or simply plana
level country; plains.
sidera certis locis infixa
the fixed stars.
humili, obscuro loco natus
of humble, obscure origin.
se conferre in aliquem locum
to go to a place.
equestri loco natus or ortus
a knight by birth.
hic (ille) locus obscurus est
this passage is obscure.
egredi loco; excedere ex loco
to leave a place.
Cicero loco quodam haec dicit
Cicero says this somewhere.
loco or vestigio se non movere
not to stir from one's place.

lŏcus (old form stlocus, like stlis for lis, Quint. 1, 4, 16), i, m. (lŏcum, i, n., Inscr. ap. Grut. 129, 14; plur. loci, single places; loca, places connected with each other, a region; cf. Krebs, Antibarb. p. 666 sq., and
I. v. infra), a place, spot.
I. Lit.
A. In gen.: adsedistis in festivo loco, i. e. the theatre, Plaut. Mil. 2, 1, 83: locum sibi velle liberum praeberier, ubi nequam faciat clam, id. Poen. 1, 1, 49; 3, 3, 44; cf. 3, 2, 25: omnes copias in unum locum convenire, Cic. Att. 8, 16, 2: Galli qui ea loca incolerent, Caes. B. G. 2, 4: locorum situm naturam regionis nosse, Liv. 22, 38: Romae per omnes locos, Sall. J. 32: facere alicui locum in turba, Ov. A. A. 2, 210: ex loco superiore agere, of an orator speaking from the rostra, or of a judge pronouncing judgment: de loco superiore dicere, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 42, § 102: ex aequo loco, of one speaking in the Senate or conversing with another: et ex superiore et ex aequo loco sermones habiti, id. Fam. 3, 8, 2: ex inferiore loco, to speak before a judge, id. de Or. 3, 6, 23: primus locus aedium, a dwelling on the ground-floor, Nep. praef. 6.—A post, position: loco movere, to drive from a place or post, Ter. Phorm. prol. 32; so, loco deicere, Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 30: loco cedere, to give way, abandon one's post, retire, Sall. C. 9; Caes. B. G. 1, 15.—
B. In partic.
1. A place, seat, in the theatre, the circus, or the forum: Servi ne obsideant, liberis ut sit locus, room, seats, Plaut. Cas. prol. 23.— Esp. the place assigned by the Senate to foreign ambassadors: locum ad spectandum dare, Cic. Mur. 35, 73; 34, 72; so Liv. 30, 17. —Plur. loca, Liv. 34, 44, 5; Vell. 2, 32, 3; Suet. Claud. 21; id. Ner. 11; Plin. 8, 7, 7, § 21.—But plur. loci, Tac. A. 15, 32.—
2. So of the lodging, quarters, place of abode assigned to foreign ambassadors for their residence: locus inde lautiaque legatis praeberi jussa, Liv. 28, 39, 19; 30, 17, 14; 42, 26, 5; Symm. Ep. 4, 56; Sid. Ep. 8, 12: loca lautia, App. M. 3, p. 140, 30.—
3. A piece or part of an estate: stricte loquendo locus non est fundus sed pars aliqua fundi, Dig. 50, 16, 60: locus certus ex fundo possideri potest, ib. 41, 2, 26.—
4. A place, spot, locality; a country region: hau longe abesse oportet homines hinc; ita hic lepidust locus, Plaut. Rud. 1, 4, 35: nunc hoc ubi abstrudam cogito solum locum, id. Aul. 4, 6, 7: non hoc ut oppido praeposui, sed ut loco, Cic. Att. 7, 3, 10; Verg. A. 1, 530; Caes. B. G. 5, 12.—Poet. of the inhabitants of a place, a neighborhood: numina vicinorum odit uterque locus, Juv. 15, 37.—Of a place where a city once stood, a site: locus Pherae, Plin. 4, 5, 6, § 13: locus Buprasium, Hyrmine, id. ib.; cf. Ov. F. 2, 280.—Plur. rarely loci: quos locos adiisti, Plaut. Trin. 4, 2, 86: locos tenere, Liv. 5, 35, 1: occupare, Sall. J. 18, 4; 76, 1; Lucr. 4, 509; Verg. A. 1, 306; 2, 28; Prop. 4 (5), 8, 22; Tac. A. 1, 61; 13, 36; Suet. Tib. 43.—Usually loca: loca haec circiter, Plaut. Cist. 4, 2, 8: venisse in illa loca, Cic. Fam. 9, 2, 5; id. Fin. 5, 1, 2 sq.; Caes. B. G. 2, 4, 2; Lucr. 1, 373; 2, 146; Cat. 9, 7; 63, 3; Sall. J. 18, 11; 54, 3; Verg. G. 2, 140; id. A. 1, 51; 2, 495; Hor. C. 1, 22, 7; Tib. 4, 1, 97; Ov. M. 10, 29; Liv. 1, 1, 5; 1, 5, 2; 1, 6, 4 et saep.—
5. In war or battle, a post, station (plur. loca): tum loca sorte legunt, Verg. A. 5, 132: loca jussa tenere, id. ib. 10, 238: loca servare, Amm. 25, 6, 14.—
6. Loci and loca, of parts of the body: loci nervosi, Cels. 5, 26, 26.—Esp.: muliebres, Varr. L. L. 5, 2, 15; and without adj., in females, the womb: si ea lotio locos fovebit, Cato, R. R. 157, 11: cum in locis semen insederit, Cic. N. D. 2, 51; Cels. 2, 8. —Of animals, Col. 6, 27, 10.—Of birds, Col. 8, 11, 8; Lucr. 4, 1246; Plin. 11, 37, 84, § 209; Cael. Aur. Acut. 3, 17: genitalia, Col. 7, 7, 4; cf. id. 8, 7, 2; 8, 11, 8; in males, Lucr. 4, 1034; 4, 1045.—
7. Communis locus,
(a). The place of the dead: qui nunc abierunt hinc in communem locum, Plaut. Cas. prol. 19.—
(b). A public place: Sthenius ... qui oppidum non maximum maximis ex pecunia sua locis communibus monumentisque decoravit, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 46, § 112.—
8. A burial-place, grave; very freq. in epitaphs; v. Inscr. Orell. 8; 4499; 4500 sq.
II. Trop.
A. A topic of discussion or thought; a matter, subject, point, head or division of a subject.
1. In gen.: cum fundamentum esset philosophiae positum in finibus bonorum, perpurgatus est is locus a nobis quinque libris, Cic. Div. 2, 1, 2: Theophrastus cum tractat locos ab Aristotele ante tractatos, id. Fin. 1, 2, 6: hic locus, de natura usuque verborum, id. Or. 48, 162: philosophiae noti et tractati loci, id. ib. 33, 118: ex quattuor locis in quos honesti naturam vimque divisimus, id. Off. 1, 6, 18; id. Inv. 2, 3, 11; 2, 5, 16; 2, 8, 26 et saep.; Quint. 2, 4, 27; 2, 11, 6; 5, 8, 4; Juv. 6, 245; Tac. Or. 31.—
2. Esp.: loci, the grounds of proof, the points on which proofs are founded or from which they are deduced: cum pervestigare argumentum aliquod volumus, locos nosse debemus, Cic. Top. 2, 7; id. de Or. 1, 13, 56; 3, 55, 210: traditi sunt ex quibus argumenta ducantur duplices loci, id. Or. 35; so sing.: itaque licet definire, locum esse argumenti sedem, id. Top. 2.—
3. Esp.: loci communes, general arguments, which do not grow out of the particular facts of a case, but are applicable to any class of cases: pars (argumentorum) est pervagatior et aut in omnis ejusdem generis aut in plerasque causas adcommodata: haec ergo argumenta, quae transferri in multas causas possunt, locos communis nominamus, Cic. Inv. 2, 14, 47 sq.; cf. the passage at length; id. ib. 2, 16, 50 sq.; 2, 18, 56; Auct. Her. 3, 8, 15; Quint. 2, 1, 9; 3, 1, 12; 5, 1, 3; 5, 13, 57 al.—Sing.: vix ullus est tam communis locus, qui possit cohaerere cum causa, nisi aliquo proprio quaestionis vinculo copulatus, Quint. 2, 4, 30: locus, for communis locus, id. 4, 2, 117; 5, 7, 32.—
B. A passage in a book or author; plur. loci (Zumpt, Gram. § 99): locos quosdam transferam, Cic. Fin. 1, 3, 7; Quint. 1, 1, 36; 1, 4, 4; 5, 13, 42; 6, 3, 36; Tac. Or. 22: locos Lucreti plurimos sectare, Gell. 1, 21, 7; but rarely loca: loca jam recitata, Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 223; Amm. 29, 2, 8.—
C. Room, opportunity, cause, occasion, place, time, etc., for any thing: et cognoscendi et ignoscendi dabitur peccati locus, Ter. Heaut. 2, 1, 6: avaritia paululum aliquid loci rationi et consilio dedisset, Cic. Quint. 16, 53: de tuo in me animo iniquis secus existimandi videris nonnihil dedisse loci, to have given occasion, cause, reason, id. Fam. 3, 6, 6: dare suspicioni locum, id. Cael. 4, 9: dare locum dubitationis, id. Balb. 6, 16; Val. Fl. 4, 451: locum habere, to find a place: qui dolorem summum malum dicit, apud eum, quem locum habet fortitudo? Cic. Off. 3, 33, 117: in hoc altero dicacitatis quid habet ars loci? id. de Or. 2, 54, 219; so, locus est alicui rei: legi Aquiliae locus est adversus te, Dig. 9, 2, 27; cf.: huic edicto locus est, ib. 37, 10, 6; cf.: meritis vacat hic tibi locus, Verg. A. 11, 179: cum defendendi negandive non est locus, Quint. 5, 13, 8: quaerendi, id. 3, 8, 21.—Also in the sense of there is place for any thing, it finds acceptance: in poëtis non Homero soli locus est aut Archilocho, etc., Cic. Or. 1, 4: si in mea familiaritate locus esset nemini nisi, etc., id. Planc. 33, 82: maledicto nihil loci est, id. Mur. 5, 12: locum non relinquere, to leave no room for, not to admit, to exclude: vita turpis ne morti quidem honestae locum relinquit, id. Quint. 15, 49; so, nec precibus nostris nec admonitionibus relinquit locum, id. Fam. 1, 1, 2: nancisci locum, to find occasion: nactus locum resecandae libidinis, id. Att. 1, 18, 2: valde gaudeo, si est nunc ullus gaudendi locus, id. ib. 9, 7, 6.—
D. In aliquo loco esse, to be in any place, position, situation, condition, state, relation: si ego in istoc siem loco, dem potius aurum, quam, etc., position, place, Plaut. Bacch. 4, 9, 116: tanta ibi copia venustatum aderat, in suo quaeque loco sita munde, id. Poen. 5, 4, 8: in uxoris loco habere, Ter. Heaut. 1, 1, 52: in liberūm loco esse, Cic. de Or. 2, 49, 200; id. Planc. 11, 28; id. Brut. 1, 1; but more freq. without in: is si eo loco esset, negavit se facturum, id. Fam. 4, 4, 4: eodem loco esse, Sen. Ben. 3, 8, 2; 7, 14, 6.—Esp. with a gen.: parentis loco esse, Cic. Div. in Caecil. 19, 61: hostium loco esse, Liv. 2, 4, 7: fratris loco esse, Cic. Fam. 5, 3, 1; 7, 3, 6; Quint. 6, 1, 7: nec vero hic locus est, ut, etc., not the proper occasion, Cic. Tusc. 4, 1, 1; id. Rosc. Am. 12, 33.— Hence, loco or in loco, at the right place or time, seasonably, suitably: posuisti loco versus Attianos, Cic. Fam. 9, 16, 4: epistolae non in loco redditae, id. ib. 11, 16, 1: dulce est desipere in loco, Hor. C. 4, 12, 28; so, locis: non insurgit locis? non figuris gaudet? Quint. 12, 10, 23: quo res summa loco? in what condition? Verg. A. 2, 322: quo sit fortuna loco, id. ib. 9, 723: quo sit Romana loco res, Hor. Ep. 1, 12, 25: quo tua sit fortuna loco, Stat. Th. 7, 558: missis nuntiis, quo loco res essent, Liv. 2, 47, 5: primo loco, in the first place, first in order, Juv. 5, 12.—Freq. as a partit. gen.: quo loci for quo loco, Cic. Att. 8, 10; id. Div. 2, 66: eo loci for eo loco, id. Sest. 31, 68; Tac. A. 15, 74: eodem loci, Suet. Calig. 53: ubi loci, Plaut. Merc. 5, 4, 26: ibidem loci, id. Cist. 3, 1, 53: interea loci for interea, meanwhile, Ter. Eun. 1, 2, 46: postea loci, after that, afterwards, Sall. J. 102: ubicumque locorum, Hor. Ep. 1, 3, 34: adhuc locorum, hitherto, Plaut. Capt. 2, 3, 25: ad id locorum, to that time, till then, hitherto, Sall. J. 63, 6; 73, 2; Liv. 22, 38, 12: post id locorum, after that, thereupon, Plaut. Cas. 1, 32: inde loci, since then, Lucr. 5, 437.—
E. Place, position, degree, rank, order, office, of persons or things: summus locus civitatis, Cic. Clu. 55, 150: tua dignitas suum locum obtinebit, id. Fam. 3, 9, 2: quem locum apud ipsum Caesarem obtinuisti? id. Phil. 2, 29, 71: res erat et causa nostra eo jam loci, ut, etc., id. Sest. 31, 68: Socrates voluptatem nullo loco numerat, id. Fin. 2, 28, 90: codem loco habere, quo, etc., id. Prov. Cons. 17, 41; Caes. B. G. 1, 26, 6; 7, 77, 3; id. B. C. 1, 84, 2: indignantes eodem se loco esse, quo, etc., Liv. 42, 37, 8: sed esto, neque melius quod invenimus esse, neque par, est certe proximus locus, Quint. 10, 5, 6: erat ordine proximus locus, id. 7, 3, 36: humili loco, id. 4, 2, 2.—Plur. loca: ut patricii recuperarent duo consularia loca, Liv. 10, 15, 8: quinque augurum loca, id. 10, 8, 3; 42, 34, 15: omnia loca obtinuere, ne cui plebeio aditus esset, id. 4, 57, 11; Tac. A. 2, 55: Vesta loca prima tenet, Ov. F. 6, 304.—Esp. of birth: infimo loco natus, Cic. Fl. 11, 24: esse summo loco natus, id. Planc. 25, 60: Tanaquil summo loco nata, Liv. 1, 34.—
F. Loco, adverbially, in the place of, instead of, for: criminis loco putant esse, quod vivam, Cic. Fam. 7, 3, 6: haec filium suum sibi praemii loco deposcit, id. Inv. 2, 49, 144.

Origins

Proto-Indo-European *stel-der. Proto-Italic *stlokos? Old Latin stlocus Latin locus Inherited from Old Latin stlocus, possibly from Proto-Italic *stlokos, from Proto-Indo-European *stel- (“to put, place, locate”). However, De Vaan is skeptical of this derivation due to the suffix *-okos not being attested in any other word, and leaves the origin open.

Borrowings
  • Englishlocus
  • Englishlocofoco
  • GermanLokus
  • Portugueselócus
  • Spanishlocus
  • Bretonlocfrom Proto-Brythonic *llog
  • Welshllogfrom Proto-Brythonic *llog
  • Old Irishlocfrom Proto-Brythonic *llog
Italo-Dalmatian
  • Italianloco
  • Italianluoco
  • Italianlogo
  • Italianluogo
  • Corsicanlocu
  • Dalmatianluc
  • Istriotlògo
  • Neapolitanluoco
  • Sicilianlocu
  • Venetanłógo
Gallo-Romance
  • Catalanlloc
  • Occitanlòcfrom Old Occitan loc
  • Occitanluecfrom Old Occitan loc
  • Occitanluòcfrom Old Occitan loc
  • Franco-Provençalluè
  • Old Frenchleu
Balkano-Romance
  • Romanianloc
  • Aromanianloc
  • Istro-Romanianloc
  • Megleno-Romanianloc
Insular Romance
  • Logudoreselogu
  • Nuoreselocu
Rhaeto-Romance
  • Friulianlûc
  • Ladinluega
  • Romanshlieu
  • Romanshliug
  • Romanshliac
  • Romanshli
  • Romanshlö
Gallo-Italic
  • Lombardloeugfrom Old Lombard log
  • Piedmonteseleu
  • Piedmonteseleugh
Ibero-Romance
  • Asturianllueu
  • Old Galician-Portugueselogo
  • Old Spanishluego

In English words that came into English from locus

  • locallocālis
  • locomotivelocō
  • locationlocatio
  • locuslocus
  • milieumedius
  • locatelocātus
  • locomotionlocō
  • locofocolocus
  • lieulocum
  • locativelocātīvus
  • locellatelocellus

Quick answers

What does locus mean in Latin?
locus, a noun, means “place (referring to a specific location); a passage of literature; opportunity”.
What is the genitive of locus?
The genitive singular is locī. locus is masculine, second declension.
How do you pronounce locus?
In classical Latin, [ˈɫɔ.kʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈlɔː.kus].
Which English words come from locus?
English words that go back to Latin locus include locus, locofoco, local, locomotive, milieu and locomotion.