LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective

passīvus

passīvus (feminine passīva, neuter passīvum, adverb passīvē)
Classical[pasˈsiː.wʊs]Ecclesiastical[pasˈsiː.vus]

Meaning

  1. adjectivesubject to passion or emotion
  2. adjectivepassive (of a verb)

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativepassīvuspassīvapassīvum
genitivepassīvīpassīvaepassīvī
dativepassīvōpassīvaepassīvō
accusativepassīvumpassīvampassīvum
ablativepassīvōpassīvāpassīvō
vocativepassīvepassīvapassīvum
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativepassīvīpassīvaepassīva
genitivepassīvōrumpassīvārumpassīvōrum
dativepassīvīspassīvīspassīvīs
accusativepassīvōspassīvāspassīva
ablativepassīvīspassīvīspassīvīs
vocativepassīvīpassīvaepassīva

passīvus, a, um, adj. 2. pando.
I. Spread about, general, common, found everywhere (post-class.): nomen dei, applied to many, common, Tert. adv. Marc. 1, 7: cupiditates, Firm. Math. 5, 1.—
II. Promiscuous, confused: seminum passiva congeries, App. M. 6, p. 177, 14.—Hence,
B. Subst.: passīvus, i, m., i. q. popularis: vagi Romanorum, quos passivos appellant, Aug. contr. Adamant. 24; so, populari, passivo, Schol. Juv. 8, 182.—Adv.: passīvē: crines per colla passive dispositi, dispersedly, App. M. 11 init.; Tert. adv. Psych. 2.
passīvus, a, um, adj. patior,
I. capable of feeling or suffering, passible, passive (post-class.): anima passiva et interibilis, Arn. 2, 65; App. de Deo Socr. p. 49.—
II. In partic., in gram., passive: verbum passivum . . . quod habet naturam patiendi, Quint. 1, 6, 10: verba, Charis. 2; Diom. 1; Prisc. 8 et saep.—Adv.: pas-sīvē, passively, Lucil. ap. Prisc. p. 791 P.

Origins

From patior (“to endure”) + -īvus (adjective suffix). In the grammatical sense, it is a calque of Ancient Greek παθητικός (pathētikós).

Descendants
  • Catalanpassiu
  • Englishpassive
  • Frenchpassif
  • Germanpassiv
  • Italianpassivo
  • Portuguesepassivo
  • Spanishpasivo
  • Danishpassiv
  • Turkishpasiffrom French passif
  • Maltesepassivefrom Italian passivo

Quick answers

What does passīvus mean in Latin?
passīvus, a adjective, means “subject to passion or emotion; passive (of a verb)”.
How do you pronounce passīvus?
In classical Latin, [pasˈsiː.wʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [pasˈsiː.vus].