LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective

sordidus

sordidus (feminine sordida, neuter sordidum, comparative sordidior, superlative sordidissimus)
Classical[ˈsɔr.dɪ.dʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈsɔr.di.dus]
sordide sg. voc. m.Mille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. adjectivedirty, filthy, nasty
  2. adjectiveof poor, mean, base quality, low-brow

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

plēnus sordium; nōn pūrus.
sordidus -a -um — in Mille Verba, ch. Vestis et Ōrnāmenta
dirty
sordidus — in Seneca, ch. II

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativesordidus
sordidulus		sordida
sordidula		sordidum
sordidulum
genitivesordidī
sordidulī		sordidae
sordidulae		sordidī
sordidulī
dativesordidō
sordidulō		sordidae
sordidulae		sordidō
sordidulō
accusativesordidum
sordidulum		sordidam
sordidulam		sordidum
sordidulum
ablativesordidō
sordidulō		sordidā
sordidulā		sordidō
sordidulō
vocativesordide
sordidule		sordida
sordidula		sordidum
sordidulum
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativesordidī
sordidulī		sordidae
sordidulae		sordida
sordidula
genitivesordidōrum
sordidulōrum		sordidārum
sordidulārum		sordidōrum
sordidulōrum
dativesordidīs
sordidulīs		sordidīs
sordidulīs		sordidīs
sordidulīs
accusativesordidōs
sordidulōs		sordidās
sordidulās		sordida
sordidula
ablativesordidīs
sordidulīs		sordidīs
sordidulīs		sordidīs
sordidulīs
vocativesordidī
sordidulī		sordidae
sordidulae		sordida
sordidula

sordĭdus, a, um, adj. sordeo,
I. dirty, unclean, foul, filthy, squalid, sordid (class.).
I. Lit. (syn.: squalidus, obscenus): vestem squalam et sordidam, Enn. ap. Non. 504, 6 (Trag. v. 370 Vahl.): amictus, Verg. A. 6, 301; cf.: sordidior toga, Mart. 1, 104, 5: mappa, Hor. Ep. 1, 5, 22; Mart. 7, 20, 8: lana, Ov. A. A. 3, 222: fumus, Hor. C. 4, 11, 11: at pol nitent, haud sordidae videntur ambae, Plaut. Bacch. 5, 2, 6: servolicolae, id. Poen. 1, 2, 55: nati, Hor. C. 2, 18, 28; cf.: magnos duces Non indecoro pulvere sordidos, id. ib. 2, 1, 22: puer sordidissimus dentibus, Petr. 64, 6 et saep.—Esp.: sordido in loco sedere, Val. Max. 9, 13, 2.— Transf., of mourners, clad in mourning, Cic. Mur. 40, 86.—Poet.: Auctumnus calcatis sordidus uvis, Ov. M. 2, 29; id. F. 4, 897; Col. poët. 10, 44: terga suis, sooty, dingy, Ov. M. 8, 648.—Prov.: saepe est etiam sub palliolo sordido sapientia, wisdom is often hid under a ragged cloak, Caecil. ap. Cic. Tusc. 3, 23, 56.—
B. Transf., low, base, mean, as to birth, rank, or condition; poor, humble, small, paltry (syn.: illiberalis, infimus): causam commisisse homini egenti, sordido, sine honore, sme censu, Cic. Fl. 22, 52; id. Att. 8, 4, 2; id. Leg. 3, 16, 35; Hor. C. 1, 28, 14.—Sup.: sordidissimus quisque, Liv. 1, 47, 11: familiae sordidissima pars, Petr. 132, 3; cf.: loco non humili solum sed etiam sordido ortus, Liv. 22, 25, 18: a sordidis initiis ad summa crevere, Just. 2, 6, 2: sordidum et obscurum Macedonum nomen, id. 6, 9, 7: genus alicujus, id. 22, 1, 1: panis, Plaut. As. 1, 2, 16; Sen. Ep. 18, 5: villula, Cic. Att. 12, 27, 1; cf. tecta, Luc. 4, 396: sedes, id. 5, 9: lar villae, Mart. 12, 57, 2: rura (with humiles casae), Verg. E. 2, 28: aratra, Claud. IV. Cons. Hon. 414; hence also, otia, i. e. ruris, Mart. 1, 56, 4—
II. Trop., low, mean, base, abject, vile, despicable, disgraceful (syn. turpis).
A. In gen., Cic. Phil. 1, 8, 20: iste omnium turpissimus et sordidissimus, id. Att. 9, 9, 3: multo homo sordidissimus, id. Scaur. 2, § 23: homo furiosus ac sordidus, id. Q. Fr. 1, 1, 6, § 19: nec minus laetabor, cum te semper sordidum, quam si paulisper sordidatum viderem, id. Pis. 41, 99: illiberales et sordidi quaestus mercenariorum omnium, quorum operae, non quorum artes emuntur ... Sordidi etiam putandi, qui mercantur a mercatoribus, quod statim vendant, etc.... Opifices omnes in sordidā arte versantur, etc.... mercatura autem, si tenuis est, sordida putanda est, etc., id. Off. 1, 42, 150: lucrum, Quint. 1, 2, 16 sq.; cf.: sordidissima ratio et inquinatissima, Cic. Off. 2, 6, 21: qui (oratores) ne sordidiores quidem (artis) repudiarint (opp. praeclarissimas), id. de Or. 3, 32, 128: virtus repulsae nescia sordidae, Hor. C. 3, 2, 17: adulterium, Liv. 1, 58: nomen, Quint. 8, 3, 21: verba, id. 8, 3, 17; 8, 3, 49; 2, 5, 10: multa, id. 2, 12, 7: omnia, id 10, 1, 9: homines nullā re bonā dignos, cum quibus comparari sordidum, confligere autem miserum et periculosum sit, Cic. Rep. 1, 5, 9; id. Off. 2, 14, 50; cf.: qui pecuniam praeferre amicitiae sordidum existiment, id. Lael. 17, 63.—
B. In partic., mean, niggardly, penurious, sordid (cf. parcus): ita sordidus, ut se Non umquam servo melius vestiret, Hor. S. 1, 1, 96; 1, 1, 65; 1, 2, 10; 2, 3, 164; Quint. 5, 13, 26; Plin. Ep. 2, 6, 1 (opp. sumptuosus): perjurium, Phaedr. 4, 19, 23: cupido, Hor. C. 2, 16, 16; cf. Cic. Off. 1, 42, 150 supra.—Hence, adv.: sordĭdē.
1. Lit., dirtily, foully: per plateas tractus est sordidissime, through the deepest mire, Lampr. Heliog. 33 med.—
2. Transf., meanly, basely: quo sordidius et abjectius nati sunt, Tac. Or. 8.—
3. Trop.
a. Vulgarly, unbecomingly, poorly: loquitur laute et minime sordide, Plaut. Mil. 4, 2, 11: dicere, Cic. de Or. 2, 83, 339: contionari, id. Att. 15, 2, 2: declamare (opp. splendide atque ornate), Suet. Rhet. 6; Gell. 15, 4, 3.—
b. Meanly, stingily, penuriously, sordidly: nimis illum sordide Simonidi dixisse, se dimidium ejus ei, quod pactus esset, pro illo carmine daturum, Cic. de Or. 2, 86, 352: facere aliquid (opp. largissime), Suet. Dom. 9: gerere proconsulatum, Plin. Ep. 3, 9, 2.

Origins

Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-der. Proto-Italic *-iðos Latin -idus Latin sordidus From sordeō + -idus.

Borrowed
  • Englishsordid
  • Catalansòrdid
  • Frenchsordide
  • Romaniansordidfrom French sordide
  • Italiansordido
  • Occitansordid
  • Portuguesesórdido
  • Spanishsórdido
Inherited
  • Sardiniansordidu
  • Sardiniansoridu
  • Middle Frenchsourdre
  • Middle Frenchsoudre

In English words that came into English from sordidus

  • sordidsordidus

Quick answers

What does sordidus mean in Latin?
sordidus, a adjective, means “dirty, filthy, nasty; of poor, mean, base quality, low-brow”.
How do you pronounce sordidus?
In classical Latin, [ˈsɔr.dɪ.dʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈsɔr.di.dus].