LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
verbfirst conjugation

temptō

temptō (present infinitive temptāre, perfect active temptāvī, supine temptātum)
Classical[ˈtɛmp.toː]Ecclesiastical[ˈtɛmp.to]
№ 430 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. to test the strength; to make an attack upon
  2. to test
  3. to try, attempt
  4. to urge, incite, rouse
  5. to handle, touch

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

cōnor et experior; puer saxum magnum tollere tēmptat.
tēmptō -āre — in Mille Verba, Certāmina Gymnica

Conjugation conjugation 1

active indicative
formpresentimperfectfutureperfectpluperfectfut. perfect
1st sg.temptōtemptābamtemptābōtemptāvītemptāveramtemptāverō
temptārō
2nd sg.temptāstemptābāstemptābistemptāvistī
temptāstī		temptāverās
temptārās		temptāveris
3rd sg.temptattemptābattemptābittemptāvittemptāverat
temptārat		temptāverit
temptārit
1st pl.temptāmustemptābāmustemptābimustemptāvimustemptāverāmustemptāverimus
temptārimus
2nd pl.temptātistemptābātistemptābitistemptāvistis
temptāstis		temptāverātis
temptārātis		temptāveritis
temptāritis
3rd pl.temptanttemptābanttemptābunttemptāvērunt
temptāvēre, temptārunt		temptāverant
temptārant		temptāverint
temptārint
active subjunctive
active subjunctive
formpresentimperfectperfectpluperfect
1st sg.temptemtemptāremtemptāverim
temptārim		temptāvissem
temptāssem
2nd sg.temptēstemptārēstemptāverīstemptāvissēs
temptāssēs
3rd sg.temptettemptārettemptāverit
temptārit		temptāvisset
temptāsset
1st pl.temptēmustemptārēmustemptāverīmus
temptārīmus		temptāvissēmus
temptāssēmus
2nd pl.temptētistemptārētistemptāverītis
temptārītis		temptāvissētis
temptāssētis
3rd pl.temptenttemptārenttemptāverint
temptārint		temptāvissent
temptāssent
passive indicative
passive indicative
formpresentimperfectfuture
1st sg.temptortemptābartemptābor
2nd sg.temptāris
temptāre		temptābāris
temptābāre		temptāberis
temptābere
3rd sg.temptāturtemptābāturtemptābitur
1st pl.temptāmurtemptābāmurtemptābimur
2nd pl.temptāminītemptābāminītemptābiminī
3rd pl.temptanturtemptābanturtemptābuntur
passive subjunctive
passive subjunctive
formpresentimperfect
1st sg.temptertemptārer
2nd sg.temptēris
temptēre		temptārēris
temptārēre
3rd sg.temptēturtemptārētur
1st pl.temptēmurtemptārēmur
2nd pl.temptēminītemptārēminī
3rd pl.temptenturtemptārentur
imperative
imperative
formactivepassive
pres. 2nd sg.temptātemptāre
pres. 2nd pl.temptātetemptāminī
fut. 2nd sg.temptātōtemptātor
fut. 3rd sg.temptātōtemptātor
fut. 2nd pl.temptātōte—
fut. 3rd pl.temptantōtemptantor
infinitives & participles
infinitives & participles
formactivepassive
present infinitivetemptāretemptārī
perfect infinitivetemptāvisse
temptāsse		temptātum esse
future infinitivetemptātūrum essetemptātum īrī
present participletemptāns—
perfect participle—temptātus
temptāta, temptātā, temptātae, temptātam, temptātārum, temptātās, temptātī, temptātōrum, temptātōs
future participletemptātūrus
temptātūra, temptātūrā, temptātūrae, temptātūram, temptātūrārum, temptātūrās, temptātūre, temptātūrī, temptātūrīs, temptātūrō, temptātūrōrum, temptātūrōs, temptātūrum		temptandus
gerundtemptandī, temptandō, temptandumsupinetemptātum, temptātū

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

temptō (tentō) āvī, ātus, āre, intens.
tendo, to handle, touch, feel : manibus pectora, O.: flumen vix pede: in tenebris caput, Ph.: invisos amictūs, V.: venam, to feel the pulse , O.— To make trial of, try, attempt, attack, assail : scalis et classe moenia, Cs.: quia Gallis ad temptanda ea (castra) defuit spes, L.: animi valentes morbo temptari possunt: auctumnus exercitum valetudine temptaverat, Cs.: morbo temptari acuto, H.: pedes, V.— To try, experiment upon, prove, test, attempt, essay : tempto te, quo animo accipias: regis prudentiam: pollice chordas, O.: iter per provinciam per vim, Cs.: negatā iter viā, H.: Thetim ratibus, V.: temptanda via est, V.: nullo modo animus incitari potest, qui modus a me non temptatus sit: rem frustra, Cs.: pacis spem, L.: crimina, H.: quid in eo genere possem: quae sit fortuna facillima, temptat, V.: si qua res esset cibo, something to eat , Ph.: temptarunt aequore tingui, O.: taurus irasci in cornua temptat, V.: litteras deferre, Cu.: ut ipse gereret sine rege rem p.: temptatum ab L. Sextio, ut rogationem ferret, etc., L.— To try, urge, incite, tempt, sound, tamper with : cum per Drusum saepe temptassem: utrum admonitus an temptatus an . . . pervenerit . . . nescio: cum ab proximis impetrare non possent, ulteriores temptant, Cs.: nequiquam temptati, ut desisterent, L.: animum precando, V.: fidem eius, an exercitum traditurus foret, Ta.— To disquiet, worry, excite, disturb, agitate, distress : nationes: in his rebus evertendis unius hominis senectus temptata est.

Origins

Probably from the iterative or frequentative suffix -tō attached to a base derived somehow from *ten- (“to stretch”). There is disagreement about the details: Lewis and Short derive it from tendō (“stretch, stretch out, extend”) (supine tentum) without explaining the origin of the version spelled with -mpt-, whereas De Vaan derives it from the hypothetical perfect passive participle *t(e)mpto- of an unattested verb meaning 'to touch, feel' built on Proto-Indo-European *temp-, which can be interpreted as an extended form of *ten- (compare tempus, templum). Compare pedetemptim and its variant pedetentim.

Descendants
  • Englishtempt
  • Englishtaunt
  • Frenchtenter
  • Romaniantentafrom French tenter
  • Frenchtempter
  • Italiantentare
  • Catalantemptarfrom Old Occitan temptar
  • Portuguesetentarfrom Old Galician-Portuguese tentar
  • Sardiniantentai
  • Sardiniantentare

Quick answers

What does temptō mean in Latin?
temptō, a verb, means “to test the strength; to make an attack upon; to test”.
What are the principal parts of temptō?
temptō, temptāre, temptāvī, temptātum (first conjugation).
How do you pronounce temptō?
In classical Latin, [ˈtɛmp.toː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈtɛmp.to].