LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininefirst declension

miseria

miseria f (genitive miseriae)
Classical[mɪˈsɛ.ri.a]Ecclesiastical[miˈs̬ɛː.ri.a]

Meaning

  1. femininemisfortune
  2. femininemisery (great unhappiness)
    Sōlus meārum miseriārumst remedium.He is the only cure for my misery.160 BCE, Publius Terentius Afer, Adelphoe 294

In the readers how our graded readers gloss it

hardship
miseria — in Seneca, ch. II

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Infortunium · Calamitas · Infelicitas · Miseria

Infortunium and calamitas denote a single misfortune; infortunium, more as a vexatious accident, like malheur, for example, the loss of a purse, receiving blows, etc.; calamitas (from κολούω) a tragic accident, as the loss of a beloved person, of power, etc.; whereas infelicitas and miseria denote an unfortunate state of considerable duration; infelicitas, merely as the absence of success; miseria (from μυσαρός?) as an actual, pressing state of affliction.

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativemiseriamiseriae
genitivemiseriaemiseriārum
dativemiseriaemiseriīs
accusativemiseriammiseriās
ablativemiseriāmiseriīs
vocativemiseriamiseriae

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

consolari aliquem in miseriis
to comfort in misfortune.

mĭsĕrĭa, ae, f. miser,
I. wretchedness, unhappy condition, misfortune, misery; affliction, distress, etc.
I. Lit.
A. (Class.) Nam invidere alii bene esse, tibi male esse, miseriast, Plaut. Truc. 4, 2, 31: Proloqui Caelo atque terrae Medeaï miserias, Enn. ap. Cic. Tusc. 3, 26, 63 (Trag. v. 292 Vahl.): quibus servitutem meā miseriā deprecor, id. ap. Non. 290, 19 (Trag. v. 173 ib.): miserias voluptate sedare, Plaut. Poen. 5, 4, 93: ubi virtus est, ibi esse miseria et aerumna non potest, Cic. Fin. 5, 32, 95: in miserias incidere, id. Phil. 2, 10, 24: de miseriis in quibus versamur, id. Fam. 7, 3, 1: in miseriā esse, id. Fin. 3, 14, 48: oneri miseriaeque esse, Sall. C. 10, 2.—
B. Trouble, fatigue, irksomeness: miseriam capere, Ter. Ad. 5, 4, 22: nimiae miseriae est, is too irksome, Quint. 1, 8, 18: nimia est miseria nimis pulchrum esse hominem, Plaut. Mil. 1, 1, 68: ne (Stoici) omnia superstitiosā sollicitudine et miseriā crederent, anxiety, Cic. Div. 2, 41, 86.—Plur.: miseriae plebis crescebant, Liv. 6, 34, 1.—
II. Personified: Mĭsĕrĭa, the daughter of Erebus and Nox, Cic. N. D. 3, 17 fin.; Hyg. Fab. praef.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*mh₂isros?
  2. Proto-Italic*misseros
  3. Latinmiseria

Proto-Indo-European *-(i)yós Proto-Italic *-ijos Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ia Latin miseria From miser + -ia.

Descendants
  • Catalanmisèria
  • Englishmiseryfrom Old French miserie
  • Frenchmisèrefrom Old French miserie
  • Englishmisèrefrom Old French miserie
  • Romanianmizeriefrom Old French miserie
  • Italianmiseria
  • Occitanmisèria
  • Portuguesemiséria
  • Spanishmiseria
  • Albanianmëshirë

Quick answers

What does miseria mean in Latin?
miseria, a noun, means “misfortune; misery (great unhappiness)”.
What is the genitive of miseria?
The genitive singular is miseriae. miseria is feminine, first declension.
How do you pronounce miseria?
In classical Latin, [mɪˈsɛ.ri.a]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [miˈs̬ɛː.ri.a].
Where does miseria come from?
Proto-Indo-European *mh₂isros? → Proto-Italic *misseros → Latin miseria.