What does sententia mean in Latin?

sententia, a noun, means “a way of thinking, view, opinion, judgement or sentence; a purpose, intention, will (one's thinking in respect to the future); a vote of opinion (expressed in senate in response to an interrogātiō)”.

What is the genitive of sententia?

The genitive singular is sententiae. sententia is feminine, first declension.

How do you pronounce sententia?

In classical Latin, [sɛnˈtɛn.ti.a]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [senˈtɛn.t͡si.a].

Which English words come from sententia?

English words that go back to Latin sententia include sentence, sententious, sentential, sententiary and sententiosity.

noun · femininefirst declension

sententia

sententia f (genitive sententiae)

Classical[sɛnˈtɛn.ti.a]Ecclesiastical[senˈtɛn.t͡si.a]

№ 586 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

femininea way of thinking, view, opinion, judgement or sentence
Quot hominēs tot sententiae: suō’ quoique mōs.[There are] as many opinions as there are people: to each his own way [of seeing things].161 BCE, Publius Terentius Afer, Phormio 454
meā (quidem) sententiā(at least) in my view
femininea purpose, intention, will (one's thinking in respect to the future)
femininea vote of opinion (expressed in senate in response to an interrogātiō)
sententiam ferreto vote
in sententiam alicuius īreto support someone's opinion or policy
femininethe vote of a juryman or of a jury
femininean authoritative decision, pronouncement, judgement, decree
femininea feeling, sense, idea, notion
sententiīsque magis quam verbīs abundantēsoverflowing with ideas rather than words to express them55 BCE, Cicero, De oratore 2.93
femininethe main drift, substance; spirit of a law (as opposed to letter)
feminineany terse and pointed observation (esp. moralistic); a maxim, epigram
sententiae antiquaeancient epigrams, classical sentences
femininea self-contained group of words, a finished clause, sentence, period
sententiae antiquaeancient epigrams, classical sentences

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

quod sentiō et dīcō; iūdicis sententia.

sententia -ae f — in Mille Verba, Animus et Adfectūs

quod quis cēnset

opinion

sententia -ae (f) — in De Bello Gallico II, ch. 9

a saying

sententia — in Seneca, ch. XVI

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Sententia · Opinio · Suffragium

1. Sententia is the view of a subject, resting upon clear perception and acquired conviction, like γνώμη; opinio, an opinion resting upon mere feeling, like δόξα. 2. Sententia is the vote of a senator upon any motion, etc., like γνώμη; whereas suffragium, the simple voting, pronouncing yes or no, or a name, like ψῆφος.

Declension

declension
form	singular	plural
nominative	sententia	sententiae
genitive	sententiae	sententiārum
dative	sententiae	sententiīs
accusative	sententiam	sententiās
ablative	sententiā	sententiīs
vocative	sententia	sententiae

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

ex sententia: as one would wish; to one's mind.
sententiam dicere: to give an opinion (also used of a judge, cf. sect. VI. 4).
ratio sententiarum: the connection of thought.
sententiae iudicum: the finding of the jury.
mea (quidem) sententia: according to my opinion.
sententiam suam aperire: to freely express one's opinions.
hanc in sententiam dixit: the tenor of his speech was this...
(de) sententia desistere: to give up one's opinion.

34 more phrases

sententiae inter se nexae: the connection.
a sententia sua discedere: to give up one's opinion.
de sententia sua decedere: to give up one's opinion.
illae sententiae evanuerunt: those views are out of date.
sententia or voluntas legis: the spirit of the law.
ex animi mei sententia iuro: I swear on my conscience.
quot homines, tot sententiae: many men, many minds.
consilium, sententiam mutare: to alter one's views, intentions.
respondere in hanc sententiam: to answer to this effect.
sententiam rogare, interrogare: to ask the opinion of...
sententia vincit (Liv. 2. 4. 3): the majority were of the opinion...
sententiam fronte celare, tegere: not to betray one's feelings by one's looks.
in hac sum sententia, ut...putem: I think that...
enuntiatio, enuntiatum, sententia: the sentence, proposition.
plura in eam sententiam disputare: to discuss a subject more fully on the same lines.
stat mihi sententia (Liv. 21. 30.): I am firmly resolved.
de sententia aliquem deducere, movere: to make a man change his opinion.
sententias (verbis) explicare, aperire: to explain one's sentiments.
de sententia deici, depelli, deterreri: to be forced to change one's mind.
ratio, qua sententiae inter se excipiunt.: the connection of thought.
ex animi mei sententia (vid. sect. XI. 2): according to my strong conviction.
sententiam ferre, dicere (Off. 3. 16. 66): to give sentence (of the judge, cf. sect. VI. 4, note Not...).

sententĭa, ae, f. for sentientia, from sentio,

I. a way of thinking, opinion, judgment, sentiment; a purpose, determination, decision, will, etc.

I. Lit. (cf.: opinio, voluntas, studium).

A. In gen.: quoniam sententiae atque opinionis meae voluistis esse participes, nihil occultabo et quoad potero, vobis exponam, quid de quāque re sentiam, Cic. de Or. 1, 37, 172: sententia et opinio mea, id. ib. 2, 34, 146: senis sententia de nuptiis, Ter. And. 1, 3, 2: de aliquā re, id. Ad. 3, 5, 5; id. Phorm. 2, 4, 4; cf.: de diis immortalibus habere non errantem et vagam, sed stabilem certamque sententiam, Cic. N. D. 2, 1, 2: de hac sententiā Non demovebor, Plaut. Pers. 3, 1, 45; cf. Cic. Verr. 1, 17, 52: de sententiā deducere, deicere, depellere, deterrere, decedere, desistere, etc., v. h. vv.: nisi quid tua secus sententia est, Plaut. Ep. 2, 2, 95; cf.: mihi sententia eadem est, id. Trin. 2, 4, 44: adhuc in hac sum sententiā, nihil ut faciamus nisi, etc., Cic. Fam. 4, 4, 5: eā omnes stant sententiā, Plaut. Curc. 2, 1, 35; cf.: perstat in sententiā Saturius, Cic. Rosc. Com. 18, 56; so, in sententiā manere, permanere, etc., v. h. vv.: non prima sed melior vicit sententia, Plin. Pan. 76, 2.—Plur.: variis dictis sententiis, quarum pars censebant, etc., Caes. B. G. 7, 77: erant sententiae, quae censerent, id. B. C. 2, 30: sententiae numerantur, non ponderantur, Plin. Ep. 2, 12, 5: nos quibus Cotta tantum modo locos ac sententias hujus disputationis tradidisset, the leading thoughts, Cic. de Or. 3, 4, 16.—Prov.: quot homines, tot sententiae, many men, many minds, Ter. Phorm. 2, 4, 14; Cic. Fin. 1, 5, 15. —

2. In the phrases,

(a). Sententia est, with subj.-clause, it is my purpose, will, opinion, etc., Auct. Her. 3, 24, 40: si honestatem tueri ac retinere sententia est, if one's purpose be, if one be determined, Cic. Off. 3, 33, 116; and: stat sententia, with obj.clause, Ov. M. 8, 67; cf., parenthetically: sic stat sententia, id. ib. 1, 243.—

(b). De sententiā alicujus aliquid facere, Cic. Cael. 29, 68: neque ego haud committam, ut si quid peccatum siet, Fecisse dicas de meā sententiā, according to my wish, to suit me, Plaut. Bacch. 4, 9, 115: gerere, Cic. Sull. 19 fin.; cf. Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 21, § 53; id. Att. 16, 16, C, § 11; 7, 5 fin.; Liv. 38, 45, 5 et saep.—

(g). Meā quidem sententiā, in my opinion or judgment, as I think: nimis stulte faciunt, meā quidem sententiā, Plaut. Men. 1, 1, 5: meā quidem sententiā, id. Cas. 3, 3, 1; id. Poen. 5, 6, 1; Ter. Ad. 1, 1, 40; 5, 9, 2; id. Phorm. 2, 2, 21; and simply meā sententiā, Plaut. Ep. 3, 3, 11; id. Merc. 2, 3, 58; Cic. Rep. 1, 26, 42; 1, 45, 69; id. de Or. 2, 23, 95 al.—

(d). Ex meā (tuā, etc.) sententiā, according to my (thy, etc.) wish: quoniam haec evenerunt nostrā ex sententiā, Plaut. Men. 5, 9, 89; id. Cist. 1, 2, 7; id. Men. 2, 2, 1; 5, 7, 30; id. Truc. 5, 72; id. Capt. 2, 3, 87; Ter. Heaut. 4, 3, 5; Cic. Fam. 2, 7, 3; 2, 15, 1; and more freq., simply ex sententiā, to one's mind or liking, Plaut. Pers. 1, 1, 18; id. Capt. 2, 2, 97; id. Mil. 4, 1, 1; id. Aul. 4, 1, 3; id. Truc. 5, 69; Ter. Heaut. 4, 5, 17; id. Hec. 5, 4, 32; id. Phorm. 2, 1, 26; Cic. de Or. 1, 27, 123; id. Att. 5, 21; id. Fam. 1, 7, 5; 12, 10, 2; Sall. J. 43, 5 et saep. (v. also infra, B. 2.).—(ε) Praeter animi sententiam, against one's inclination: quam (crapulam) potavi praeter animi mei sententiam, Plaut. Rud. 2, 7, 29.—

B. In partic., publicists' and jurid. t.t., an official determination, a decision, sentence, judgment, vote (cf. suffragium): SENATVOS SENTENTIAM VTEI SCIENTES ESETIS, EORVM SENTENTIA ITA FVIT, S. C. de Bacch.: (L. Tarquinius) antiquos patres majorum gentium appellavit, quos priores sententiam rogabat, Cic. Rep. 2, 20, 35: non viribus ... res magnae geruntur, sed consilio, auctoritate, sententiā, id. Sen. 6, 17: (Marcellinus) sententiam dixit, ut, etc. ... postea Racilius de privatis me primum sententiam rogavit, etc., id. Q. Fr. 2, 1, 2: accurate sententiam dixi ... factum est senatusconsultum in meam sententiam, id. Att. 4, 1, 6: DE SENATVOS SENTENTIAD ... DE PR. VRBANI SENATVOSQVE SENTENTIAD, S. C. de Bacch.: ex senatus sententiā, Cic. Fam. 12, 4, 1: victos paucis sententiis, Liv. 22, 61, 8.—Hence, sententiam dare, to vote: meae partes exquirendae magis sententiae quam dandae sunt, Liv. 8, 20, 12: omnes in eam sententiam ierunt, id. 23, 10, 4: cum in hanc sententiam pedibus omnes issent, id. 22, 56, 1: aliquem sequor, aliquem jubebo sententiam dividere, to divide the question, Sen. Vit. Beat. 3, 2; cf.: quod fieri in senatu solet ... cum censuit aliquis quod ex parte mihi placeat, jubeo illum dividere sententiam et sequor, id. Ep. 21, 9.—Hence, de eventu fortuna judicat, cui de me sententiam non do, I give no vote, Sen. Ep. 14, 16.—Of the people in the comitia: de singulis magistratibus sententiam ferre, Cic. Agr. 2, 11, 26: de quo foedere populus Romanus sententiam non tulit, id. Balb. 15, 34.—Of the votes of judges: itur in consilium: servus ille innocens omnibus sententiis absolvitur, quo facilius vos hunc omnibus sententiis condemnare possitis, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 45, § 100; id. Clu. 26, 72: condemnatur enim perpaucis sententiis, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 30, § 75: M. Cato (judex) sententiam dixit, pronounced the decision or sentence, id. Off. 3, 16, 66: sententiis paribus reus absolvitur, Sen. Ep. 81, 26.—

2. Ex animi mei (tui) sententiā, in the formula of an oath, to the best of my (your) knowledge and belief, on my (your) conscience: (majores) jurare ex sui animi sententiā quemque voluerunt, Cic. Ac. 2, 47, 146: quod ex animi tui sententiā juraris, id non facere perjurium est, id. Off. 3, 29, 108; Liv. 22, 53, 10; 43, 15 fin.—In a play on this signif. and that of ex sententiā, supra: ridicule illud L. Nasica censori Catoni, cum ille: Ex tui animi sententiā tu uxorem habes? Non hercule, inquit, ex animi mei sententiā, Cic. de Or. 2, 64, 260; cf. Quint. 8, 5 init.; Gell. 4, 20, 2 sqq.— Transf., as a formula of assurance: me quidem, ex animi mei sententiā, nulla oratio laedere potest, by my faith, Sall. J. 85, 27.—

II. Transf., of words, discourse, etc., sense, meaning, signification, idea, notion, etc.: sonitum ut possis sentire, neque illam Internoscere, verborum sententiam quae sit, Lucr. 4, 561: cum verbum potest in duas plurisve sententias accipi, Auct. Her. 4, 53, 67: cum continenter verbum non in eādem sententiā ponitur, Cic. Or. 39, 136: formantur et verba et sententiae paene innumerabiliter, id. de Or. 3, 52, 201: cognitā sententiā verba subtiliter exquiri noluerunt, id. Caecin. 20, 57: quod summum bonum a Stoicis dicitur convenienter naturae vivere, id habet hanc, ut opinor, sententiam: cum virtute congruere semper, id. Off. 3, 3, 13: haec (philosophia) nos docuit, ut nosmet ipsos nosceremus: cujus praecepti tanta vis, tanta sententia est, ut ea non homini cuipiam, sed Delphico deo tribueretur, such depth of meaning, id. Leg. 1, 22, 58: legis (with vis), id. ib. 2, 5, 11: de Domitio dixit versum Graecum eādem sententiā, quā etiam nos habemus Latinum: Pereant amici, etc., id. Deiot. 9, 25: est vitium in sententiā, si quid absurdum, aut alienum est, id. Opt. Gen. 3, 7; cf. id. de Or. 3, 52, 200.—

B. Concr.

1. In gen., a thought expressed in words; a sentence, period: dum de singulis sententiis breviter disputo, Cic. Phil. 13, 10, 22: est brevitate opus, ut currat sententia, etc., Hor. S. 1, 10, 9: initia et clausulae sententiarum, Quint. 9, 3, 45; cf. id. 9, 3, 36; 11, 3, 135; 8, 4, 26; 9, 4, 18; 9, 4, 29; 10, 1, 130 al.—

2. In partic., a philosophical proposition, an aphorism, apophthegm, maxim, axiom (cf. praeceptum): selectae (Epicuri) brevesque sententiae, quas appellatis κυρίας δόξας, Cic. N. D. 1, 30, 85: quid est tam jucundum cognitu atque auditu, quam sapientibus sententiis gravibusque verbis ornata oratio et perpolita, id. de Or. 1, 8, 31: acutae, id. ib. 2, 8, 34: concinnae acutaeque, id. Brut. 78, 272; Quint. 8, 5, 2 sq.; 9, 3, 76; 10, 1, 60; 11, 3, 120 al.: (Sophocles) sententiis densus, id. 10, 1, 68; cf. id. 10, 1, 90; 10, 1, 102: subiti ictūs sententiarum, Sen. Ep. 100, 8.

Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.

sententia ae, f

SENT-, a way of thinking, opinion, judgment, sentiment, thought, notion, purpose, determination, decision, will, desire : de hac re eius sententia, T.: sententiae atque opinionis meae volui esse participes: adhuc in hac sum sententiā, ut, etc.: variis dictis sententiis, quarum pars censebant, etc., Cs.: locos ac sententias huius disputationis tradere, extracts and leading thoughts : si honestatem tueri ac retinere sententia est, if one's purpose be : stat sententia tradere, etc., she is resolved , O.: sic stat sententia, O.: de cognatorum sententiā manu missi, according to the wish : de omnium sententiā pronuntiatum, unanimously : quod quem umquam de suā sententiā facere ausum? on his own responsibility , L.—Prov.: Quot homines, tot sententiae, many men, many minds , T.—Abl. with pron poss. or genit. : errat longe meā quidem sententiā, in my judgment , T.— With ex : Istuc tibi ex sententiā tuā obtigisse laetor, to your satisfaction , T.: ex meā sententiā rem p. gessimus, as I wished : evenisse ex sententiā? satisfactorily , T.: ex sententiā navigasse, prosperously .—Esp., in taking an oath: (maiores) iurare ex sui animi sententiā quemque voluerunt, to the best of his knowledge and belief , i. e. conscientiously : ex mei animi sententiā, inquit, ut non deseram, etc., without mental reservation , L.: Ex tui animi sententiā tu uxorem habes? Non hercule, inquit, ex mei animi sententiā, in all sincerity . . .? no, not to suit me.—An official determination, decision, sentence, judgment, vote : quos priores sententiam rogabat: factum est senatūs consultum in meam sententiam: decerni cunctis sententiis, unanimously : victos paucis sententiis, by a small majority , L.: meae partes exquirendae magis sententiae quam dandae sunt, i. e. my office is to put the question rather than to vote , L.: in eam sententiam ire, to support the resolution , L.: omnibus sententiis absolvi (in a conference of judges): sententiam dicere, pronounce judgment. —Sense, meaning, intent, signification, idea, notion : oratione quam sententiā lenior, in language than in meaning : quod dicitur habet hanc, ut opinor, sententiam: cuius praecepti tanta vis, tanta sententia est, ut, etc., such depth of meaning.—A thought expressed, sentence, period : dum de singulis sententiis breviter disputo: Est brevitate opus, ut currat sententia, etc., H.— An aphorism, apophthegm, maxim, axiom, saying : selectae brevesque sententiae: sapientibus sententiis ornata oratio.

Origins

Either from earlier *sentientia, from Proto-Italic *sentjentjā, equivalent to sentiens (“feeling, perceiving”) + -ia; or from Proto-Italic *sententjā, a remnant of a PIE root aorist.

Descendants

Englishsentence
Englishsentential
Englishsententious
Frenchsentence
Italiansentenza
Portuguesesentença
Romaniansentință
Spanishsentencia
Hungarianszentencia
Russianсенте́нция

In English words that came into English from sententia

sentencesententia
sententioussententiōsus
sententialsententialis
sententiarysententiarius
sententiositysententiōsus