LOGOI

The corpus record — Latin

verbum

verbum

word

Generated live from the audited Latin corpus — every figure on this page is a database query, not prose from memory.

Where it lives

Densest 12 of 280 attested works shown, by occurrences per 10,000 attested tokens.

What it meant

1. verbum — de Vaan

verbum 'word' [n. 6] (Andr.+) Derivatives: verbdsus 'containing many words' (Varro+); praeverbium 'prefix' (Varro+); verbificatio 'speechifying' (CaeciL), verbivelitatio 'verbal skirmish' (PL). Pit. *werpo~ [n.J 'word'. PIE *uerh r d h h r o- 'making a statement'. IE cognates: Hit. uerite-\ uerit- 'to fear, be frightened' < *u(e)rhri- + *d h eh r 'to place a call' (?; Kloekhorst 2008: 1003f.); OPr. wirds, Lith. … — [de Vaan, s.v. verbum, p. 678]

2. verbum — Lewis & Short

verbum, i (

I gen. plur. verbūm, Plaut. As. 1, 3, 1; id. Bacch. 4, 8, 37; id. Truc. 2, 8, 14), n. from the root er; Gr. *e*rw, whence ei)/rw and r(h=ma, what is spoken or said; cf. Goth. vaurd; Germ. Wort; Engl. word, a word; plur., words, expressions, language, discourse, conversation, etc. (cf.: vox, vocabulum).
I In gen.: verbum nullum fecit, Plaut. Bacch. 4, 9, 58: si ullum verbum faxo, id. Men. 1, 2, 47: qui verbum numquam in publico fecerunt, Cic. Brut. 78, 270; so, facere, to talk, chat, discourse, converse, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 65, § 147; id. Imp. Pomp. 10, 27; id. Planc. 8, 20 al.: spissum istud amanti est verbum veniet, nisi venit, Plaut. Cist. 1, 1, 77; cf. id. Most. 5, 1, 2: videtis hoc uno verbo unde significari res duas et ex quo et a quo loco, Cic. Caecin. 30, 88: verbum voluptatis, id. Fin. 2, 23, 75 (for which: vox voluptatis, id. ib. 2, 2, 6); cf.: libenter verbo utor Catonis (i. e. origines), id. Rep. 2, 1, 3: verbum usitatius et tritius, id. Ac. 1, 7, 27: verbum scribere ... verbi litterae, id. de Or. 2, 30, 130: nec vero ullum (verbum) aut durum aut insolens, aut humile aut longius ductum, etc., id. Brut. 79, 274: si pudor, si modestia, si pudicitia, si uno verbo temperantia (literally, in one word; cf. B. 2. infra), id. Fin. 2, 22, 73.—Plur.: verba rebus impressit, Cic. Rep. 3, 2, 3: in quo etiam verbis ac nominibus ipsis fuit diligens (Servius Tullius), id. ib. 2, 22, 40: quid verbis opu'st? Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 289: haec plurimis a me verbis dicta sunt, Cic. Rep. 1, 7, 12: verba facere, to speak, Caes. B. G. 2, 14: contumelia verborum, insulting or abusive language, id. ib. 5, 58: ut verbis, quid sit, definiam, Cic. Rep. 1, 24, 38: verba ponenda sunt, quae vim habeant illustrandi, nec ab usu sint abhorrentia, grandia, plena, sonantia, etc., id. Part. Or. 15, 53: dialecticorum verba nulla sunt publica: suis utuntur, id. Ac. 1, 7, 25: verborum delectum originem esse eloquentiae, id. Brut. 72, 253 et saep.: multis verbis ultro citroque habitis ille nobis est consumptus dies, much talk on both sides, id. Rep. 6, 9, 9; cf. id. ib. 3, 4, 7: accusabat Canutius Scamandrum verbis tribus, venenum esse deprehensum (literally, in three words; cf. B. 2. b. infra), Cic. Clu. 18, 50.—Prov.: verba facit emortuo, he talks to the dead, i. e. in vain, Plaut. Poen. 4, 2, 18; for which: verba fiunt mortuo, Ter. Phorm. 5, 8 (9), 26.—
B Adverbial phrases.
1 Ad verbum, verbum e (de, pro), verbo, or simply verbum verbo, to a word, word for word, exactly, literally (Cic. uses verbum e or ex verbo where the exact equivalent of a single word is given; verbum pro verbo of the literal translation of a passage; v. infra): fabellae Latinae ad verbum de Graecis expressae, Cic. Fin. 1, 2, 4; cf. Suet. Caes. 30 fin.: ediscere ad verbum, Cic. de Or. 1, 34, 157: ea quae modo expressa ad verbum dixi, id. Tusc. 3, 19, 44: somnium mirifice ad verbum cum re convenit, id. Div. 1, 44, 99: quae Graeci pa/qh appellant: ego poteram morbos, et id verbum esset e verbo, id. Tusc. 3, 4, 7: istam kata/lhyin, quam, ut dixi, verbum e verbo exprimentes, comprehensionem dicemus, id. Ac. 2, 10, 31; id. Fin. 3, 4, 15; id. Top. 8, 35; id. Ac. 2, 6, 17: verbum de verbo expressum extulit, Ter. Ad. prol. 11: verbum pro verbo reddere, Cic. Opt. Gen. 5, 14: nec verbum verbo curabis reddere fidus Interpres, Hor. A. P. 133; cf.: ea sine scripto eisdem verbis reddebat, quibus cogitaverat, Cic. Brut. 88, 301.—
2 Verbi causā or gratiā, for the sake of example, for example, for instance: si quis, verbi causā, oriente Caniculā natus est, Cic. Fat. 6, 12: M. Quid dicis igitur! A. Miserum esse verbi causā M. Crassum, id. Tusc. 1, 4, 12; id. Mil. 22, 60: qui verbi causā post mortem amici liberos ejus custodiant, Auct. Her. 4, 47, 60: ut propter aliam quampiam rem, verbi gratiā propter voluptatem, nos amemus, Cic. Fin. 5, 11, 30.—
3 Uno verbo, or tribus verbis, or paucis verbis, in one word, in a word, briefly.
a Quin tu uno verbo dic, quid est quod me velis, Ter. And. 1, 1, 18; Cato, R. R. 157, 7: praetores, praetorios, tribunos plebis, magnam partem senatūs, omnem subolem juventutis unoque verbo rem publicam expulsam atque extirminatam suis sedibus, Cic. Phil. 2, 22, 54.—
b Pa. Brevin' an longinquo sermoni? Mi. Tribus verbis, Plaut. Mil. 4, 2, 30: pax, te tribus verbis volo, Plaut. Trin. 4, 2, 121.—
c Sed paucis verbis te volo, Plaut. Mil. 2, 4, 22; cf.: verbis paucis quam cito Alium fecisti me, id. Trin. 1, 2, 123; cf. also paucus, II. B.—
4 Verbo.
a Orally, by word of mouth (opp. scripturā): C. Furnio plura verbo quam scripturā mandata dedimus, Planc. ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 8, 5: cui verbo mandabo, quid, etc., Vulc. Gall. Avid. Cass. 10, § 10.—
b Briefly, in a word: postquam Caesar dicendi finem fecit, ceteri verbo alius alii varie adsentiebantur, Sall. C. 52, 1: aut verbo adsentiebatur, aut pedibus in sententiam ibat, Liv. 27, 34, 7 Weissenb. ad loc.; 3, 40, 6; cf. also: rogatus a me etiamne majus quam dedecus, verbo de sententiā destitisti, at a word from me, Cic. Tusc. 2, 12, 28 Ernest. ad loc.—
5 Meis, tuis, suis verbis, in my, thy, or his name; for me, thee, or him: gratum mihi feceris, si uxori tuae meis verbis eris gratulatus, Cic. Fam. 15, 8; 5, 11, 2; id. Att. 16, 11, 8: anulum quem ego militi darem tuis verbis, Plaut. Mil. 3, 3, 38; id. Bacch. 4, 4, 79: denuntiatum Fabio senatus verbis, ne, etc., Liv. 9, 36, 14.
II In partic.
A Verbum, in the sing.
1 Of an entire clause, a saying, expression, phrase, sentence (mostly anteclass.; cf.: sententia, dictum): Me. Plus plusque istuc sospitent quod nunc habes. Eu. Illud mihi verbum non placet: quod nunc habes! Plaut. Aul. 3, 6, 11; id. Cas. 2, 5, 39; id. Most. 1, 3, 18; 1, 3, 95; 1, 3, 139; Ter. And. 1, 5, 5; id. Eun. 1, 2, 95; id. Ad. 5, 8, 29.—
2 Of a proverb: verum est verbum, quod memoratur: ubi amici, ibidem opus, Plaut. Truc. 4, 4, 32; so id. ib. 4, 5, 39; Ter. Ad. 5, 3, 17: quod verbum in pectus Jugurthae altius quam quisquam ratus erat descendit, Sall. J. 11, 7.—
B Pregn., mere talk, mere words (opp. to deed, fact, reality, etc.; cf. nomen): qui omnia verborum momentis, non rerum ponderibus examinet, Cic. Rep. 3, 8, 12; cf.: verbo et simulatione (opp. re verā), Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 58, § 133; v. res: dolor est malum, ut disputas; existimatio, dedecus, infamia verba sunt atque ineptiae, empty words, id. Pis. 27, 65: verborum sonitus inanis, id. de Or. 1, 12, 51: in quibus (civitatibus) verbo sunt liberi omnes? in word, in name, id. Rep. 1, 31, 47. —Hence, verba dare (alicui), to give empty words, i. e. to deceive, cheat: cui verba dare difficile est, Ter. And. 1, 3, 6: vel verba mihi dari facile patior in hoc, meque libenter praebeo credulum, Cic. Att. 15, 16, A: descendit atque Gallis verba dedit, i. e. eluded, escaped from them, Quadrig. ap. Gell. 17, 2, 24: curis dare verba, i. e. to beguile, drive away, Ov. Tr. 5, 7, 40.—
C In gram., a verb: Aristoteles orationis duas partes esse dicit, vocabula et verba, ut homo et equus, et legit et currit, etc., Varr. L. L. 8, § 11 sq. Müll.; 9, § 95; 10, § 77 al.; Cic. de Or. 3, 49, 191.—
D In eccl. Lat. as a translation of lo/gos, the second person of the Trinity, Vulg. Joan. 1, 1; id. 1 Joan. 5, 7; id. Apoc. 19, 13.

3. verbum — Walde–Hofmann

verbum, - m. „Wort, Verbum*^ (Varro ling. 8, 11; bei den Eccl. Bed.-Lw. nach Aóy0c; seit Varro und Cic., rom.); verbósus, -a, -um „wortreich* (seit Cic., verbösor seit Eccl., verbösitäs, -ätis f. „Wortreichtum* seit. Eccl), verbälis, -e und verbiälis seit Char.; -verbium in adverbium, - = Enippnua (seit Char., adrerbialis seit Don.); diverbium oder déverbiwm — bıdAoyog, Teil der Komödie, opp. cantica, seit Liv.; … — [Walde–Hofmann, s.v. verbum, p. 1664]

In the wild

6 of 5,429 attestations shown.

Where it came from

  • de Vaan, Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Brill 2008) Treated in de Vaan, Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Brill 2008) s.v. verbum (scan pp. 678-679; entry #1951). Root candidates: *wrato-, *vor-.
  • Walde-Hofmann, Lateinisches etymologisches Worterbuch Treated in Walde-Hofmann, Lateinisches etymologisches Worterbuch s.v. verbum (scan pp. 1664-1666; entry #3195). Root candidates: *urdho-, *uere-, *uer-.

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Latin text and lemmatization derived from the Perseus Digital Library (canonical-latinLit), CC BY-SA 4.0. Lewis & Short (public domain) via Perseus. This derived data is shared under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 license.