Latin

1 of 2

adjective

Lat·​in ˈla-tᵊn 

1

a

: of, relating to, or composed in Latin

b

: romance

2

: of or relating to Latium or the Latins

3

: of or relating to the part of the Catholic Church that until recently used a Latin rite and forms the patriarchate of the pope

4

: of or relating to the peoples or countries using Romance languages

specifically : of or relating to the peoples or countries of Latin America

Latin

2 of 2

noun

1

: the Italic language of ancient Latium and of Rome and until modern times the dominant language of school, church, and state in western Europe see Indo-European Languages Table

2

: a member of the people of ancient Latium

3

: a Catholic of the Latin rite

4

: a member of one of the Latin peoples

specifically : a native or inhabitant of Latin America

5

: latin alphabet

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Concord-Carlisle 2, Boston Latin 1 — Phoebe Rodgers finished 2 for 3 with a home run and Catherine Lynch supplied the game-winning RBI, resulting in a preliminary round win for the No. 29 Patriots (14-7). —Cam Kerry, BostonGlobe.com, 6 June 2023

In 2019, the court ruled that a Latin cross on government land outside Washington, D.C., did not have to be moved or altered in the name of church-state separation. —John Fritze, USA TODAY, 5 June 2023

With major territory sales to the U.S. (A24), Japan (Kino Films), Latin America (Imagen), Scandinavia (Scanbox Ent.), South Korea (First Run), Spain (Beta Fiction) and, as reported, Canada (Sphere Films), one of the best-selling star-laden titles at Cannes. —Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 5 June 2023

Overrunning governments and things that the U.S. has been doing to Latin America, which does have an impact on those countries now. —Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 June 2023

His father, Carl, managed the local outpost of the nightclub The Latin Quarter. —Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 June 2023

Groups such as Los Tigres del Norte and Los Bukis routinely sold out arenas around Latin America and in the United States (particularly in heavily Latino Texas and California) in the decades leading up to the early aughts. —Bethonie Butler, Washington Post, 2 June 2023

And a handful of elite schools, like the Brooklyn Latin School — where 73 Black and Latino teenagers were accepted in a class of 388 this year — are somewhat more reflective of the city’s demographics. —Troy Closson, New York Times, 2 June 2023

Kicking off June 6 in Portugal, the tour will make stops throughout Europe and Latin America before wrapping on Oct. 25 in Mexico. —Jack Irvin, Peoplemag, 2 June 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Old English, from Latin Latinus, from Latium, ancient country of Italy

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing Latin

• Latin-American
• Late Latin
• Latin Americanist
• Latin alphabet
• Latin cross
• Low Latin
• New Latin
• Old Latin
• Neo-Latin
• Vulgar Latin
• Medieval Latin
• Latin square

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• Latin-American
• Late Latin
• Latin Americanist
• Latin alphabet
• Latin cross
• Low Latin
• New Latin
• Old Latin
• Neo-Latin
• Vulgar Latin
• Medieval Latin
• Latin square

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Kids Definition

Latin

1 of 2 adjective

Lat·​in ˈlat-ᵊn 

1

a

: of, relating to, or composed in Latin

Latin grammar

b

: romance

Latin languages

2

: of or relating to that part of the Catholic Church that formerly used a Latin rite

3

: of, relating to, or characteristic of the countries or peoples of Latin America

Latin

2 of 2 noun

1

: the Italic language of ancient Rome

2

: an ancient Roman

3

: a member of one of the peoples speaking Romance languages

especially : a person born or living in Latin America