LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
adjectivethird-declension one-termination adjective

repēns

repēns (genitive repentis, adverb repente)

Meaning

  1. one terminationsudden, unexpected
  2. one terminationrecent, fresh

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Repente · Subito · Extemplo · E vestigio · Illico · Statim · Protinus · Confestim · Continuo

Repente and subito denote suddenly; repens means sudden, in opp. to exspectatus, expected, Cic. Tusc. iii. 22; to sensim, Cic. Off. i. 33. Suet. Tib. 11, like ἐξαπίνης; but subitus, in opp. to foreseen, ante provisus, Cic. Tusc. iii. 22; meditatus, Plin. Ep. i. 16; paratus, Cic. Or. i. 33, like παραχρῆμα. Extemplo and e vestigio, in opp. to delay; extemplo (ex tempore) in a moment, with reference to time; e vestigio, on the spot, sur-le-champ, with reference to place. Illico and ilicet, in opp. to slowness; illico (in loco) is used in prose, like παραυτίκα; ilicet, by writers of comedy and poets. Statim and protinus, in opp. to, at a future time; statim, immediately, in opp. to deinde, Tac. Ann. vi. 3; postea, Suet. Cl. 39. A. 51. N. 34, like εὐθύς; protinus, forthwith, like πρόκα. Confestim and continuo, in opp. to ex intervallo, Cic. Inv. ii. 12. (v. 157.)

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativerepēnsrepēnsrepēns
genitiverepentisrepentisrepentis
dativerepentīrepentīrepentī
accusativerepentemrepentemrepēns
ablativerepentī
repente
repentī
repente
repentī
repente
vocativerepēnsrepēnsrepēns
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativerepentēsrepentēsrepentia
genitiverepentiumrepentiumrepentium
dativerepentibusrepentibusrepentibus
accusativerepentīs
repentēs
repentīs
repentēs
repentia
ablativerepentibusrepentibusrepentibus
vocativerepentēsrepentēsrepentia

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

imbres repente effusi
a sudden shower.

rēpens, entis, Part., from repo.
rĕpens, entis, adj. etymology unknown.
I. Lit., sudden, hasty, unexpected, unlooked for (class., but less freq. than the deriv. repentinus; for the most part only in nom. sing.; a favorite word with Liv.; cf. Drak. ad Liv. 8, 29, 1): ne me inparatum cura laceraret repens, Cic. poët. Tusc. 3, 14, 29: hostium adventus (opp. exspectatus, and with maris subita tempestas), id. Tusc. 3, 22, 52: adventus consulis, Liv. 9, 41: bellum, id. 4, 14; 10, 7: casus Attali, id. 33, 2: clades, id. 22, 7; 8: defectio, id. 8, 29: fama belli, id. 6, 42: cum fama repens alio avertit bellum, id. 22, 21, 6: religio, id. 29, 10: terror, id. 21, 30; 33, 15: tumultus, id. 1, 14; 10, 18; 21, 26: discordia, Verg. A. 12, 313: seditio, Ov. M. 12, 61: clamor, Sil. 3, 220: singultus vocis, Stat. Th. 7, 360: sonus, Sen. Med. 971: vox, Val. Fl. 2, 91: consternatio, Curt. 10, 2, 15. — In abl.: repenti fulminis ictu, Lucr. 5, 400.—
II. Transf. (in Tac.), opp. to earlier, more ancient, i. e. for recens, new, fresh, recent: neque discerneres, quid repens aut vetustate obscurum, Tac. A. 6, 7; 11, 24: causa, id. ib. 15, 68: cogitatio, id. H. 1, 23; 2, 49: perfidia, id. ib. 4, 25.—Adv., in two forms, suddenly, unexpectedly.
a. rĕpens: (Janus) Bina repens oculis obtulit ora meis, Ov. F. 1, 96.—
b. rĕpentē (class. and freq.): abripuit repente sese subito, Plaut. Mil. 2, 2, 21; so (corresp. to subito) Cic. de Or. 1, 59, 252: repente exortus sum, repentino occidi, Plaut. Ps. 1, 1, 37: repente celeriterque, Caes. B. G. 1, 52: repente e vestigio, Cic. Div. in Caecil. 17, 57: repente a tergo signa canere, Sall. J. 94, 5: repente praeter spem, Cic. Fam. 4, 4, 3: repente ex inopinato, Suet. Galb. 10; cf.: cunctisque repente Improvisus ait, Verg. A. 1, 594: lapsa repente (turris), id. ib. 2, 465: amicitias repente praecidere (opp. sensim dissuere), Cic. Off. 1, 33, 120: repente collectam auctoritatem tenebant, Caes. B. G. 6, 12 fin.; cf.: modo egens, repente dives, Cic. Phil. 2, 27, 65: an dolor repente invasit? Ter. Hec. 3, 2, 21: me repente horum aspectus repressit, Cic. Sest. 39, 144: abjectus conscientiā repente conticuit, id. Cat. 3, 5, 10; id. Rep. 1, 16, 25: cum circumfusa repente Scindit se nubes, Verg. A. 1, 586 et saep.
rĕpens, adv., v. 2. repens
I. fin. a.

Origins

Of uncertain origin. De Vaan prefers to derive the word from Proto-Italic *rep-nt-, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁repnt- (“seizing”), the aorist participle of *h₁rep- (“to snatch”), and thus cognate with rapiō (“to snatch”); see there for more.

Descendants
  • Italianrepente
  • Portugueserepente
  • Spanishrepente

Quick answers

What does repēns mean in Latin?
repēns, a adjective, means “sudden, unexpected; recent, fresh”.