LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
verbfourth conjugation

sanciō

sanciō (present infinitive sancīre, perfect active sānxī, supine sānctum)
Classical[ˈsaŋ.ki.oː]Ecclesiastical[ˈsan̠ʲ.t͡ʃi.o]

Meaning

  1. to render, make or appoint as sacred or inviolable by a religious act, sanctify (make holy)
  2. to devote, consecrate, dedicate
  3. to forbid under the pain of punishment, enact a penalty against
  4. to fix (unalterably); establish, decree, ordain; enact, confirm, ratify, sanction

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

sacrum et firmum faciō
make sacred, ordain
sanciō -īre, sānxī — in De Bello Gallico III, ch. 12

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Sacer · Sanctus

Sacer (ἄγος) denotes that which is sacred, inasmuch as it belongs to the gods, in opp. to profanus, like ἱερός; whereas sanctus (from ἁγνός) inasmuch as it is under the protection of the gods, and, being guarded from profanation, is, in consequence, pure and spotless, in opp. to pollutus, like ὅσιος. Hence sanctus homo is a pure, pious man; sacer, one accursed, devoted to the gods as an expiatory sacrifice. In the same manner sancire means to place under the immediate protection of the gods, as laws and compacts, for example; whereas sacrare means to dedicate to the gods, as temples and altars, for example. (iii. 198.)

Conjugation conjugation 4

active indicative
formpresentimperfectfutureperfectpluperfectfut. perfect
1st sg.sanciōsanciēbamsanciamsānxīsānxeramsānxerō
2nd sg.sancīssanciēbāssanciēssānxistīsānxerāssānxeris
3rd sg.sancitsanciēbatsancietsānxitsānxeratsānxerit
1st pl.sancīmussanciēbāmussanciēmussānximussānxerāmussānxerimus
2nd pl.sancītissanciēbātissanciētissānxistissānxerātissānxeritis
3rd pl.sanciuntsanciēbantsancientsānxērunt
sānxēre
sānxerantsānxerint
active subjunctive
active subjunctive
formpresentimperfectperfectpluperfect
1st sg.sanciamsancīremsānxerimsānxissem
2nd sg.sanciāssancīrēssānxerīssānxissēs
3rd sg.sanciatsancīretsānxeritsānxisset
1st pl.sanciāmussancīrēmussānxerīmussānxissēmus
2nd pl.sanciātissancīrētissānxerītissānxissētis
3rd pl.sanciantsancīrentsānxerintsānxissent
passive indicative
passive indicative
formpresentimperfectfuture
1st sg.sanciorsanciēbarsanciar
2nd sg.sancīris
sancīre
sanciēbāris
sanciēbāre
sanciēris
sanciēre
3rd sg.sancītursanciēbātursanciētur
1st pl.sancīmursanciēbāmursanciēmur
2nd pl.sancīminīsanciēbāminīsanciēminī
3rd pl.sanciuntursanciēbantursancientur
passive subjunctive
passive subjunctive
formpresentimperfect
1st sg.sanciarsancīrer
2nd sg.sanciāris
sanciāre
sancīrēris
sancīrēre
3rd sg.sanciātursancīrētur
1st pl.sanciāmursancīrēmur
2nd pl.sanciāminīsancīrēminī
3rd pl.sanciantursancīrentur
imperative
imperative
formactivepassive
pres. 2nd sg.sancīsancīre
pres. 2nd pl.sancītesancīminī
fut. 2nd sg.sancītōsancītor
fut. 3rd sg.sancītōsancītor
fut. 2nd pl.sancītōte—
fut. 3rd pl.sanciuntōsanciuntor
infinitives & participles
infinitives & participles
formactivepassive
present infinitivesancīresancīrī
perfect infinitivesānxissesānctum esse
future infinitivesānctūrum essesānctum īrī
present participlesanciēns—
perfect participle—sānctus
future participlesānctūrus
sānctūra, sānctūrā, sānctūrae, sānctūram, sānctūrārum, sānctūrās, sānctūre, sānctūrī, sānctūrīs, sānctūrō, sānctūrōrum, sānctūrōs, sānctūrum
sanciendus
sanciundus, sancienda, sanciendā, sanciendae, sanciendam, sanciendārum, sanciendās, sanciende, sanciendīs, sanciendōrum, sanciendōs, sanciunda, sanciundā, sanciundae, sanciundam, sanciundārum, sanciundās, sanciunde, sanciundī, sanciundīs, sanciundō, sanciundōrum, sanciundōs, sanciundum
gerundsanciendī, sanciendō, sanciendumsupinesānctum, sānctū

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

legem sancire
to let a bill become law (of the people and senate).
Solo lege sanxit, ut or ne
Solo ordained by law that...
Solo capite sanxit, si quis... (Att. 10. 1)
Solon made it a capital offence to...
violatas caerimonias inexpiabili religione sancire (Tusc. 1. 12. 27)
to invoke an irrevocable curse on the profanation of sacred rites.

sancĭo, xi, ctum, 4 (
I. pluperf. sancierat, Pompon. ap. Diom. p. 368 P.; id. ap. Prisc. p. 904 ib.: sancivi, Prisc. 904; Diom. 368; part. perf. sancitum, Lucr. 1, 587; Cass. Sev. ap. Diom. l. l.), v. a. Sanscr. root sac, sak, to accompany, honor (cf. sequor); whence also sacer; cf. Gr. ἉΓ, ἅγιος, ἁγνός, to render sacred or inviolable by a religious act; to appoint as sacred or inviolable.
I. Lit., mostly of legal ordinances or other public proceedings, to fix unalterably; to establish, appoint, decree, ordain; also, to make irrevocable or unalterable; to enact, confirm, ratify, sanction (freq. and class.; cf.: caveo, scisco).
A. Sancire legem (jus, foedus, etc.): legibus istis, quas senatus de ambitu sancire voluerit, etc., Cic. Planc. 18, 44: Cretum leges, quas sive Juppiter sive Minos sanxit, id. Tusc. 2, 14, 34; cf.: quasdam leges ex integro sanxit, Suet. Aug. 34; and: sancire legem, Ne quis, etc., Liv. 3, 55: tabulas Quas bis quinque viri sanxerunt, Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 24: quam temere in nosmet legem sancimus iniquam, id. S. 1, 3, 67: legem sanciendo, Liv. 3, 55 et saep.—Pass.: haec igitur lex sanciatur, ut, etc., Cic. Lael. 12, 40, and 13, 44; cf.: M. Valerius consul de provocatione legem tulit diligentius sanctam, Liv. 10, 9: sacrosanctum esse nihil potest, nisi quod populus plebesve sanxisset, Cic. Balb. 14, 33: sanxisset jura nobis, id. Rep. 3, 11, 18: jus utile civitati, Pompon. ap. Prisc. p. 904: in quibus (legibus) illa eadem sancta sunt, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 50, § 123: cum aut morte tuā sancienda sint consulum imperia, aut impunitate in perpetuum abroganda, Liv. 8, 7: SENTENTIAM, Inscr. Orell. 4405: foedus, to ratify the treaty, Liv. 1, 24; so Cic. Sest. 10, 24: foedera sanguine, id. post Red. ad Quir. 5, 13; Liv. 23, 8 fin.; 25, 16; Tac. A. 12, 46; cf. poet.: foedera fulmine, Verg. A. 12, 200.—
B. Sancire lege (edicto, etc.) aliquid, de aliquā re, ut, ne, etc.: alia moribus confirmarunt, sanxerunt autem alia legibus, Cic. Rep. 1, 2, 2; cf.: genus id agrorum certo capite legis confirmari atque sanciri, id. Agr. 3, 1, 3: quod aedilis plebis fuisset, contra quam sanctum legibus erat, Liv. 30, 19: ne res efferatur jurejurando ac fide sanciatur petunt, Caes. B. G. 7, 2; cf. Liv. 39, 37: neque enim rogationibus plebisve scitis sancta sunt ista praecepta, Quint. 2, 13, 6: coetibus ac sacrificiis conspirationem civitatum, Tac. Agr. 27: eadem fuit (causa) nihil de hac re lege sanciendi, Liv. 34, 4: nihil lege ullā in alios sanxit, Just. 3, 2, 8: de jure praediorum sanctum apud nos est jure civili, ut, etc., Cic. Off. 3, 16, 65: inhumanissimā lege sanxerunt, ut, etc., id. Rep. 2, 37, 63; cf.: habeat legibus sanctum, Si quis...uti, etc., Caes. B. G. 6, 20: lege naturae, communi jure gentium sanctum est, ut, etc., Cic. Har. Resp. 14, 32: primo duodecim tabulis sanctum, ne quis, etc., Tac. A. 6, 16: Flaccus sanxit edicto, ne, etc., Cic. Fl. 28, 67: in omne tempus gravi documento sancirent, ne, etc., Liv. 28, 19: nec, quominus id postea liceret, ulla lex sanxit, Cic. Ep. ad Brut. 1, 5, 3.—
(b). Without abl.: de quibus confirmandis et sanciendis legem comitiis centuriatis laturus est, Cic. Phil. 10, 8, 17; cf.: acta Caesaris, id. Att. 14, 21, 2: quae dubia sunt, per vos sancire vult, id. Agr. 3 4, 13: augurem Jovis optimi maximi, id. Phil. 13, 5, 12: cum de eo nihil sanxerit, quod antea commissum non erat, id. Rosc. Am. 25, 70: quid est, quod tam accurate tamque diligenter caveat et sanciat, ut heredes sui, etc., id. Fin. 2, 31, 101.—
C. With acc. and inf.: rursus fide sanxerunt liberos Tarentinos leges suaque omnia habituros, Liv. 25, 8: omnes liberos esse sanxit, Suet. Claud. 25.—
D. Lex sancit, decrees, ordains (with acc. or obj.-clause): at hoc Valeria lex non dicit, Corneliae leges non sanciunt, Cic. Agr. 3, 2, 8: consularis lex sanxit, ne qui magistratus sine provocatione crearetur, id. Rep. 2, 31, 54; cf.: res et ab naturā profectas et ab consuetudine probatas, legum metus et religio sanxit, id. Inv. 2, 53, 160.—
E. Poet., with relative-clause: quid quaeque queant, per foedera naturaï, Quid porro nequeant, sancitum quandoquidem exstat, Lucr. 1, 587. —
F. To render sacred to any one, to devote, consecrate, dedicate: sancire alicui carmina, Stat. S. 3, 3, 215; cf. id. Th. 11, 344: templum, Coripp. 4, 264.—
II. Transf., to forbid under pain of punishment, to enact a penalty against (very rare): incestum pontifices supplicio sanciunto, Cic. Leg. 2, 9, 22; cf.: noxiae poena par esto, ut in suo vitio quisque plectatur: vis capite, avaritia multa, honoris cupiditas ignominiā sanciatur, id. ib. 3, 20, 46; id. Planc. 19, 47: hoc (sc. insidiae) quamquam video neque more turpe haberi, neque aut lege sanciri aut jure civili: tamen naturae lege sanctum est, id. Off. 3, 17, 69: erranti viam non monstrare, quod Athenis exsecrationibus publicis sanctum est, id. ib. 3, 13, 55: Solon capite sanxit, si qui in seditione non alterius utrius partis fuisset, made it a capital offence, id. Att. 10, 1, 2.—With abl. of fine: injurias factas quinque et viginti assibus sanxerunt, Gell. 20, 1, 31.—Hence, sanc-tus, a, um, P. a.
A. Orig., rendered sacred, established as inviolable, i. e. sacred, inviolable (whereas sacer signifies consecrated to a deity. Thus, e. g., a temple, grove, or the like, is sacer locus; but sanctus locus is any public place which it is forbidden to injure or disturb. A sacer locus is also sanctus, but the converse is not always true): proprie dicimus sancta, quae neque sacra neque profana sunt, sed sanctione quādam confirmata, ut leges sanctae sunt, quia sanctione quādam sunt subnixae. Quod enim sanctione quādam subnixum est, id sanctum est, etsi deo non sit consecratum, Dig. 1, 8, 9: sanctum est, quod ab injuriā hominum defensum atque munitum est...In municipiis quoque muros esse sanctos, ib. 1, 8, 8; cf.: sanctae res, veluti muri et portae, ib. 1, 8, 1: campus, Cic. Rab. Perd. 4, 11: tribuni ejus (plebis) essent sanctique sunto, id. Leg. 3, 3, 9 (cf. sacrosanctus): societas, id. Off. 1, 8, 26; id. Rep. 1, 32, 49: fides induciarum, Liv. 8, 37: nullum esse officium, nullum jus tam sanctum atque integrum, quod non ejus scelus atque perfidia violarit et imminuerit, Cic. Rosc. Am. 38, 109; so, officium, id. Quint. 6, 26: poëtae...poëtae nomen, id. Arch. 8, 18 sq.—Hence, aerarium sanctius, a special treasure of the State, which was only to be used in cases of extreme necessity (v. aerarium).—Of persons: hospites ab injuriā prohibent sanctosque habent, Caes. B. G. 6, 23: ut vestris etiam legionibus sanctus essem, Cic. Phil. 2, 24, 60: uxor, Phaedr. 3, 10, 30.—Because to the idea of inviolability is readily attached that of exalted worth, of sacredness, or divinity (as, on the contrary, our word sacred afterward received the meaning of inviolable, e. g. sacred rights, a sacred promise, sacred honor, etc.), sanctus denotes,
B. Venerable, august, divine, sacred, pure, holy (very freq. and class.); of a divinity, and of things in any way belonging to one: Saturno sancte create, Enn. ap. Macr. S. 6, 1 (Ann. v. 607 Vahl.): Juno Saturnia sancta dearum, id. ap. Serv. ad Verg. A. 4, 576 (Ann. v. 65 ib.): teque pater Tiberine (veneror) tuo cum flumine sancto, id. ap. Macr. S. 6, 1 (Ann. v. 55 ib.): numen, Lucr. 5, 309; 6, 70: sedes deum, id. 5, 147; Cic. Rep. 5, 5, 7: fana, Lucr. 5, 74: delubra, id. 6, 417; 6, 1272: sanctus augustusque fons, Cic. Tusc. 5, 12, 36: sanctior dies (with sollemnis), Hor. C. 4, 11, 17: ignes (of a sacrifice), Verg. A. 3, 406 et saep.— After Augustus, a title given to the emperors, Ov. F. 2, 127; Val. Fl. 1, 11: sanctius et reverentius est visum nomen Augusti, Flor. 4, 12, 66: intra limina sanctioris aulae, Mart. 5, 6, 8 (al. aevi): amicitiae sanctum et venerabile nomen, Ov. Tr. 1, 8, 15: libertas, Liv. 3, 52: pudicitia, id. 3, 52.—
2. Of character, morally pure, good, innocent, pious, holy, just, etc. (freq. and class.): cum esset ille vir exemplum innocentiae, cumque illo nemo neque integrior esset in civitate neque sanctior, Cic. de Or. 1, 53, 229; cf.: sanctissimi viri, id. Lael. 11, 39: homines frugalissimi, sanctissimi, id. Fl. 29, 71: sancti et religiosi, id. Rosc. Com. 15, 44; cf.: qui sunt sancti, qui religionum colentes, id. Planc. 33, 80: vir in publicis religionibus foederum sanctus et diligens, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 19, § 49: veteres et sancti viri, Sall. Fragm. ap. Macr. S. 2, 9: sanctius consilium, Liv. 30, 16; cf.: jura magistratusque legunt sanctumque senatum, Verg. A. 1, 426: da (mihi) justo sanctoque videri, Hor. Ep. 1, 16, 61: Dareus ut erat sanctus et mitis, Curt. 3, 8, 5: amores, pure, chaste, Cic. Fin. 3, 20, 68; cf.: virgines, Hor. C. 1, 2, 27: sanctissima conjux, Verg. A. 11, 158: pudor, Tib. 1, 3, 83: mores (with pudicitia), Juv. 10, 298 et saep.: me quidem id multo magis movet, quod mihi est et sanctius antiquius, Cic. Att. 12, 19, 4: quod apud omnes leve et infirmum est, id apud judicem grave et sanctum esse ducatur? id. Rosc. Com. 2, 6; cf.: est et sancta et gravis oratio (Calvi), Quint. 10, 1, 115; so comp.: oratio, id. 8, 3, 24: genus orationis, id. 4, 2, 125: eloquentia, Tac. Or. 4: manus sanctas habere, Val. Max. 2, 2, 8: sanctissima disciplina (Stoicorum), Gell. 1, 2, 7; cf. Lucr. 3, 371. —
C. In eccl. Lat., substt.
1. sanctus, i, m., a saint, holy man: sancti tui, Vulg. 2 Par. 6, 41: omnes sancti ejus, id. Psa. 30, 24. —
2. sanctum, i, n., a holy place; esp.: sanctum sanctorum, Vulg. Exod. 26, 34 et saep.: in sancto habitas, id. Psa. 21, 4.—Also in plur.: sancta sanctorum, Vulg. Exod. 40, 11 et saep.: violare sancta, id. Judith, 9, 11. —Adv.: sanctē (acc. to B.), solemnly, conscientiously, scrupulously, religiously, with holy awe, etc.: jurare, Plaut. Capt. 4, 2, 112; Ter. Hec. 1, 1, 4: adjurare, Plaut. Cist. 2, 3, 27; Ter. Hec. 2, 2, 26: nimis sancte pius, Plaut. Rud. 4, 7, 8; cf.: pie sancteque colimus naturam excellentem, Cic. N. D. 1, 20, 56: auguste sancteque consecrare, id. ib. 2, 24, 62: disce verecundo sanctius ore loqui, Mart. 8, 1, 2: multa sunt severius scripta quam in antiquis legibus et sanctius, Cic. Rab. Post. 4, 8: se sanctissime gerere, id. Q. Fr. 1, 2, 4, § 13: te sancte precor, Liv. 2, 10: illae (tabulae) servantur sancte, scrupulously, religiously, Cic. Rosc. Com. 2, 7; cf.: me ea, quae tibi promitto ac recipio, sanctissime esse observaturum, id. Fam. 5, 8, 5: virgines tam sancte habuit, Curt. 3, 12, 21: exempla conservatae sanctissime utrobique opinionis, Quint. 1, 2, 4: apud Sallustium dicta sancte et antique, purely, chastely, id. 8, 3, 44.

Origins

Inherited from Proto-Italic *sankiō, from Proto-Indo-European *seh₂k- (“to sanctify, to make a treaty”).

Descendants
  • Catalansancir
  • Italiansancire

Quick answers

What does sanciō mean in Latin?
sanciō, a verb, means “to render, make or appoint as sacred or inviolable by a religious act, sanctify (make holy); to devote, consecrate, dedicate; to forbid under the pain of punishment, enact a penalty against”.
What are the principal parts of sanciō?
sanciō, sancīre, sānxī, sānctum (fourth conjugation).
How do you pronounce sanciō?
In classical Latin, [ˈsaŋ.ki.oː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈsan̠ʲ.t͡ʃi.o].