certus, certa, certum

Definitions for certus

Wheelock's Latin

Adjective

1
definite, sure, certain, reliable
English derivatives:
ascertain certify certificate

Oxford Latin Dictionary

Adjective

1
Fixed, settled, definite. (b) (of things fixed by divine or natural law). (c) a fixed number of, so many, (d) previously fixed, prearranged.
2
(of plans, opinions) Firm, settled, fixed. (b) ~um est, (my) mind is made up, (I am) determined; also, ~a res est.
3
(used to particularize, but not further identify or describe) Certain, particular, individual. (b) (masc. as sb.) a certain person. (c) specific.
4
(of facts) About which there is no doubt, certain, indisputable. (b) (neut. sg. after vbs. of knowing, finding out, saying, etc.) for certain. (c) (spec., of children or parents in respect of paternity).
5
(of signs, information, etc.; also witnesses, informants) Certain, sure, indisputable.

See more definitions

Sentences with certus

Latin to English

Nil homini certum est.Compare Nothing is certain to men.

Amicus certus in re incerta cernitur. (Quoted by Cicero, De Amicit., 64)Compare A friend in need is a friend indeed.

Solum ut inter ista vel certum sit nihil esse certi nec quicquam miserius homine aut superbius.Compare Among these things but one thing seems certain - that nothing certain exists and that nothing is more pitiable or more presumptuous than man.

Certus res certus signum praecurro arbitror.Compare They think that certain signs precede certain events.

Data sources

Notes

Definitions
Frederick M. Wheelock, Wheelock's Latin, 6th ed., rev. Richard A. LaFleur (New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, 2005): 126.
P. G. W. Glare, Oxford Latin Dictionary, Vols. 1-8 (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1982): 304.
Word frequencies
Christopher Francese, "Latin Core Vocabulary," Dickinson College Commentaries, last modified 2014, http://dcc.dickinson.edu.
Paul B. Diederich, The Frequency of Latin Words and Their Endings, PhD diss., (Columbia University, 1939).

Bibliography

Allen, Joseph H. Allen and Greenough's New Latin Grammar for Schools and Colleges: Founded on Comparative Grammar. Edited by James B. Greenough, George L. Kittredge, Albert A. Howard, and Benjamin L. D'Ooge. Boston, MA: Ginn & Company, 1903.

Crystal, David. A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics. 6th ed. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishing, 2008.

Delatte, Louis, Suzanne Govaerts, Joseph Denooz, and Etienne Evrard. Dictionnaire fréquentiel et index inverse de la langue latine [Frequency Dictionary and Inverse Index of the Latin Language]. Liège, Belgium: Laboratoire d'analyse statistique des langues anciennes de l'Université de Liège (L.A.S.L.A.), 1981.

Diederich, Paul B. The Frequency of Latin Words and Their Endings. PhD diss., Columbia University, 1939.

Francese, Christopher. "Latin Core Vocabulary." Dickinson College Commentaries. Last modified 2014. http://dcc.dickinson.edu/latin-vocabulary-list.

Gildersleeve, Basil L., and Gonzales Lodge. Gildersleeve's Latin Grammar: Third Edition, Revised, and Enlarged. 3rd ed. London, England: Macmillan and Co., 1903.

Glare, Peter G.W. Oxford Latin Dictionary. Vols. 1-8. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press, 1982.

Krüger, Bernd. "Latin Conjugation Tables." Cactus2000. Accessed May 5, 2023. https://latin.cactus2000.de/index.en.php.

Pierson, Nick. "Sound of Text." Accessed October 26, 2019. https://soundoftext.com.

Wheelock, Frederick M. Wheelock's Latin. 6th ed. Revised by Richard A. LaFleur. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, 2005.

Wiktionary Contributors. "Victionarium." Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Updated March 18, 2019. https://la.wiktionary.org/wiki/Victionarium:Pagina_prima.

Citation

Chicago (17th ed.)

Allo Contributors. "certus, certa, certum (adj.) - Latin Word Definition." Allo Latin Dictionary. Last modified August 13, 2023. Accessed November 22, 2024. http://ancientlanguages.org/latin/dictionary/certus-certa-certum.