LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininefirst declension

sapientia1

sapientia f (genitive sapientiae)
Classical[sa.piˈɛn.ti.a]Ecclesiastical[sa.piˈɛn.t͡si.a]
№ 797 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. femininewisdom, discernment, memory
  2. femininescience, skilled practice

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

scientia vītae; quod sapiēns habet.
sapientia -ae f — in Mille Verba, Animus et Adfectūs

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativesapientiasapientiae
genitivesapientiaesapientiārum
dativesapientiaesapientiīs
accusativesapientiamsapientiās
ablativesapientiāsapientiīs
vocativesapientiasapientiae

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

philosophiae (sapientiae) studio teneri (Acad. 1. 2. 4)
to be enamoured of philosophy.
se conferre ad philosophiam, ad philosophiae or sapientiae studium (Fam. 4. 3. 4)
to devote oneself to philosophy.

săpĭentĭa, ae, f. sapiens.
I. (Acc. to sapiens, A.) Prop., good taste, i. e. good sense, discernment, discretion, prudence, intelligence (class.; syn. prudentia): pellitur e medio sapientia, vi geritur res, Enn. ap. Gell. 20, 10, 4 (Ann. v. 272 Vahl.): non aetate verum ingenio adipiscitur sapientia, Plaut. Trin. 2, 2, 88; id. Mil. 4, 6, 36: fac participes nos tuae sapientiae, id. Ep. 2, 2, 73; cf.: neque habet (erus meus) plus sapientiae quam lapis, id. Mil. 2, 2, 81; id. Capt. 2, 3, 53; cf. id. ib. 2, 3, 50: sedulo Moneo, quae possum, pro meā sapientiā, Ter. Ad. 3, 3, 73: quanta mea sapientia est, Plaut. Stich. 1, 2, 62: erum anteëo sapientiā, Ter. Phorm. 2, 1, 17: re enim iniquum est, sed tuā sapientiā fit aequissimum, Cic. Deiot. 2, 4: numquam enim temeritas cum sapientiā commiscetur, id. Marcell. 2, 7: quid virtus et quid sapientia possit, etc., Hor. Ep. 1, 2, 17: sapientia prima (est), stultitiā caruisse, id. ib. 1, 1, 41; cf. id. A. P. 396: insaniens sapientia, id. C. 1, 34, 2.—
II. (Acc. to sapiens, B.) Wisdom, = σοφία (so predominantly in the class. per., e. g. in Cic.): nec quisquam sophiam, sapientia quae perhibetur, In somnis vidit, etc., Enn. ap. Fest. p. 325 Müll. (Ann. v. 227 Vahl.); cf.: Sophiam vocant me Graii, vos Sapientiam, Afran. ap. Gell. 13, 8, 3; and: princeps omnium virtutum illa sapientia, quam σοφίαν Graeci vocant, Cic. Off. 1, 43, 153: ad sapientiam hujus nimius nugator fuit, Plaut. Capt. 2, 2, 25: ita fit, ut mater omnium bonarum rerum sit sapientia, a cujus amore Graeco verbo philosophia nomen invenit, Cic. Leg. 1, 22, 58: sapientia hominis custos, id. Fin. 4, 1, 1; id. Lael. 2, 7; 6, 20; 9, 30: omnem spem salutis ad clementiam victoris et sapientiam contulisse, id. Marcell. 6, 18: quorum vobis pro vestrā sapientiā, Quirites, habenda est ratio diligenter, id. Imp. Pomp. 7, 17: sapientiae vocem audire, id. Phil. 13, 3, 6: studia sapientiae, Tac. A. 14, 56: doctores sapientiae, philosophers, id. ib. 14, 16. —With gen.: admirari soleo cum ceterarum rerum tuam excellentem, M. Cato, perfectamque sapientiam tum, etc., in other things, Cic. Sen. 2, 4.—In plur., sarcastically: qui (sapientes) si virtutes ebullire volent et sapientias, nihil aliud dicent, nisi, etc. (the plur. denoting their perpetual speaking of wisdom), a saying referred to Epicurus, Cic. Tusc. 3, 18, 42.—
B. In partic., of single departments of knowledge, science, or wisdom, practical wisdom, knowledge of the world, philosophy, Lucr. 5, 10: sapientia est, ut a veteribus philosophis definitum est, rerum divinarum et humanarum causarumque, quibus eae res continentur, scientia, Cic. Off. 2, 2, 5: sapientia, quae ars vivendi putanda est, id. Fin. 1, 13, 42 (for which: ars est philosophia vitae, id. ib. 3, 2, 4).—Of jurisprudence: istam oscitantem sapientiam Scaevolarum et ceterorum beatorum otio concedamus, Cic. de Or. 2, 33, 144; cf.: his temporibus audaciā pro sapientiā liceat uti, id. Fam. 1, 10 init. —Of eloquence: hanc cogitandi pronunciandique rationem vimque dicendi veteres Graeci sapientiam nominabant, Cic. de Or. 3, 15, 56.—Of statesmanship, policy: sapientia constituendae civitatis, Cic. de Or. 2, 37, 154; cf.: qui propter ancipitem, quae non potest esse sejuncta, faciendi dicendique sapientiam florerent, id. ib. 3, 16, 59. —Of mathematics: sapientiae professor, Suet. Tib. 14.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*sep-
  2. Proto-Italic*sapjō
  3. Latinsapientia

Proto-Indo-European *-onts Latin -ns Latin -ēns Latin sapiēns Proto-Indo-European *-(i)yós Proto-Italic *-ijos Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ia Latin sapientia From sapiēns + -ia.

Descendants
  • Englishsapience
  • Frenchsapience
  • Italiansapienza
  • Portuguesesapiência
  • Portuguesesabença
  • Romaniansapiență
  • Spanishsapiencia
  • Galiciansabenza
  • Galiciansapiencia
  • Piedmontesesapiensa

In English words that came into English from sapientia

  • sapientialsapientiālis
  • sapiencesapientia
proper noun · femininefirst declension
Sapientia2
Sapientia f sg (genitive Sapientiae)
Classical[sa.piˈɛn.ti.a]Ecclesiastical[sa.piˈɛn.t͡si.a]

Meaning

  1. femininesingularWisdom (Book of Wisdom)

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeSapientia—
genitiveSapientiae—
dativeSapientiae—
accusativeSapientiam—
ablativeSapientiā—
vocativeSapientia—

Origins

Translating the Ancient Greek Septuagint’s Σοφῐ́ᾱ (Σολομῶντος) (Sophĭ́ā (Solomôntos), “Wisdom [of Solomon]”). The other book of the Bible entitled Σοφῐ́ᾱ… (Sophĭ́ā…, “Wisdom…”)—Σοφία Σειράχ (Sophía Seirákh, “Wisdom of Sirach”)—usually goes by the name Ecclēsiasticus.

Quick answers

What does sapientia mean in Latin?
sapientia, a noun, means “wisdom, discernment, memory; science, skilled practice”.
What is the genitive of sapientia?
The genitive singular is sapientiae. sapientia is feminine, first declension.
How do you pronounce sapientia?
In classical Latin, [sa.piˈɛn.ti.a]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [sa.piˈɛn.t͡si.a].
Where does sapientia come from?
Proto-Indo-European *sep- → Proto-Italic *sapjō → Latin sapientia.