LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective

ōtiōsus

ōtiōsus (feminine ōtiōsa, neuter ōtiōsum, superlative ōtiōsissimus)
Classical[oː.tiˈoː.sʊs]Ecclesiastical[ot.t͡siˈɔː.s̬us]

Meaning

  1. adjectiveidle
  2. adjectiveunemployed
  3. adjectivedisengaged
  4. adjectivefree from office
  5. adjectiveas a state of mind or being: calm, quiet, indifferent, neutral, at rest or at ease
    DĀVUS: Animō nūnciam ōtiōsō esse imperō.DAVUS: Now, put [your] mind[s] at ease, I urge [you]. (In other words, “be calm, don’t worry,” with the irony that Davus himself has caused much of the comic tension.)166 BCE, Publius Terentius Afer, Andria 842

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativeōtiōsusōtiōsaōtiōsum
genitiveōtiōsīōtiōsaeōtiōsī
dativeōtiōsōōtiōsaeōtiōsō
accusativeōtiōsumōtiōsamōtiōsum
ablativeōtiōsōōtiōsāōtiōsō
vocativeōtiōseōtiōsaōtiōsum
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativeōtiōsīōtiōsaeōtiōsa
genitiveōtiōsōrumōtiōsārumōtiōsōrum
dativeōtiōsīsōtiōsīsōtiōsīs
accusativeōtiōsōsōtiōsāsōtiōsa
ablativeōtiōsīsōtiōsīsōtiōsīs
vocativeōtiōsīōtiōsaeōtiōsa

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

otiosum esse
to be at leisure.
pecunia iacet otiosa
the money is bringing in no interest, lies idle.
otiosum tempus consumere in aliqua re
to spend one's leisure hours on an object.
omne (otiosum) tempus in litteris consumere
to devote all one's leisure moments to study.

ōtĭōsus, a, um, adj. otium,
I. at leisure, unoccupied, disengaged, unemployed, idle (class.; cf. feriatus, immunis; opp. negotiosus).
I. Of persons.
A. In gen.: nimis otiosum te arbitror hominem esse, Plaut. Truc. 1, 2, 34; 40: quamvis etiam maneo otiosus hic, Ter. Ad. 2, 4, 15: cum essem otiosus domi, Cic. Brut. 3, 10: rebus humanis aliquos otiosos deos praeficere, id. N. D. 3, 39, 93.—
B. In partic.
1. Without official employment, free from public affairs: quo in studio hominum quoque ingeniosissimorum otiosissimorumque totas aetates videmus esse contritas, Cic. de Or. 1, 51, 219: quem locum nos otiosi convertimus, in an interval of leisure, id. Div. 2, 30, 63: Graeculum se atque otiosum putari maluit, id. Sest. 51, 110: numquam se minus otiosum esse, quam cum otiosus, that he was never less at leisure than when free from official business, Cato ap. Cic. Off. 3, 1, 1: cum a te tua promissa flagitabam, ad urbem te otiosissimum esse arbitrabar, Cic. Fam. 3, 11, 3: cum otiosus stilum prehenderat, id. Brut. 24, 93.—
2. With respect to participation, quiet, unconcerned, indifferent, neutral: spectatores otiosi Leuctricae calamitatis, Cic. Off. 2, 7, 26: quidam enim non modo armatis, sed etiam otiosis minabantur, id. Marcell. 6, 18.—
3. Without excitement, quiet, passionless, calm, tranquil: etiam istos, quibus odio est otium, quietissimos atque otiosissimos reddam, Cic. Agr. 2, 37, 102: vide ut otiosus it, Ter. Eun. 5, 3, 10; Cic. Fam. 9, 25, 3.—
4. Of style, tedious, dull: (Cicero) lentus est in principiis, longus in narrationibus, otiosus circa excessus, Tac. Or. 22.—
5. That has leisure for any thing; with gen.: studiorum otiosi, Plin. H. N. praef. § 6.—Hence,
C. Subst.: ōtĭōsus, i, m., a private person, one not in official life: et facilior et tutior vita est otiosorum, Cic. Off. 1, 21, 70: otioso vero et nihil agenti privato, ... quando imperium senatus dedit? id. Phil. 11, 8, 20.—
2. Non-combatants, civilians: crudeliter enim otiosis minabantur, Cic. Fam. 9, 6, 3 (B. and K. otiosissimi): militare nomen grave inter otiosos, Tac. Agr. 40.—
II. Of inanim. and abstr. things, at leisure, free, idle, unemployed: otioso in otio animus nescit, quid velit, Enn. ap. Gell. 19, 10, 12 (Trag. v. 256 Vahl.): ego, cui fuerit ne otium quidem umquam otiosum, Cic. Planc. 27, 66: pecuniae, idle, unemployed (opp. occupatus), Plin. Ep. 10, 62, 1: senectus, Cic. Sen. 14, 49: his supplicationum otiosis diebus, id. Q. Fr. 3, 8, 3: quid quiete otiosius animi, Sen. Ira, 2, 13, 4.—
B. Transf.
1. Idle, useless, unprofitable, superfluous (cf.: ignavus, iners, desidiosus): sententiae, Quint. 1, 1, 35: sermo, id. 8, 2, 19: otiosissimae occupationes, Plin. Ep. 9, 6, 4; so, otiosum est persequi singula, Lact. 2, 4, 28; cf. Min. Fel. 23, 1.—
2. Quiet, free from any thing; with ab: animo nunc jam otioso esse impero, Ter. And. 5, 2, 1: ab animo, id. Phorm. 2, 2, 26: a metu, Gell. 2, 29, 9: quid est animi quiete otiosius, Sen. Ira, 2, 13, 2.—
3. With a quiet or gentle motion, quiet, gentle: fons vel rivus huc conveniat otiosus, flowing quietly, gently, Pall. 1, 37, 3.—Hence, adv.: ōtĭōsē.
A. Lit., at leisure, at ease, without occupation: vivere, Cic. Off. 3, 26, 97: inambulare in foro, Liv. 23, 7 fin.: sequi, Plaut. Mil. 4, 6, 8: ire, id. Ep. 5, 1, 21: magnast res, quam ego tecum otiose, si otiumst, cupio loqui, id. Aul. 4, 10, 41.—
B. Transf.
1. Calmly, quietly, without haste, gently, gradually: ambula ergo cito. Sy. Immo otiose, Plaut. Ps. 4, 1, 14; cf. id. Truc. 1, 2, 66 (opp. to properare): bene et otiose percoquere, Cato, R. R. 76 fin.: contemplari unumquodque otiose et considerare coepit, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 15, § 33: quaerere, id. Fin. 4, 13, 22: segniter, otiose, neglegenter, contumaciter omnia agere, Liv. 2, 57.—
2. Free from fear, quietly, fearlessly: ademptum tibi jam faxo omnem metum, in aurem utramvis otiose ut dormias, Ter. Heaut. 2, 3, 100.

Origins

From ōtium (“leisure”) + -ōsus.

Descendants
  • Catalanociós
  • Englishotiose
  • Frenchoiseuxfrom Old French oisos
  • Frenchotiosefrom Old French oisos
  • Italianozioso
  • Occitanociós
  • Portugueseocioso
  • Spanishociosofrom Old Spanish ocioso
  • Sicilianuzziusu

Quick answers

What does ōtiōsus mean in Latin?
ōtiōsus, a adjective, means “idle; unemployed; disengaged”.
How do you pronounce ōtiōsus?
In classical Latin, [oː.tiˈoː.sʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ot.t͡siˈɔː.s̬us].