Collins Gem Latin Dictionary: Second Edition (Collins Language) - Softcover

HarperCollins Publishers

Softcover

ISBN 10: 000470763X ISBN 13: 9780004707631

Publisher: Collins Reference, 1996

Synopsis

With over 60,000 references and 80,000 translations, this new edition of Collins Gem Latin Dictionary provides extensive coverage of Latin and English and offers in–depth treatment of all the vocabulary students need to take them through their exams.

• Extensive coverage of exam vocabulary

• Clear, attractive typography for quick and easy access

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HarperCollins Publishers

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Introduction

Whether you are learning Latin for the first time or wish to "brush up" what you learned some time ago, this dictionary is designed to help you understand Latin and to express yourself in Latin, if you so wish.

HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY

Headword

This is shown in bold type. On the Latin-English side all long vowels are shown by placing a -above them. Latin nouns show the genitive singular form in bold. Latin verbs show the first person singular of the present indicative as the headword, followed by the infinitive, the first person singular of the perfect indicative and usually the past participle, all in bold type:

elegia, -ae
elementum, -i
elevo, are
ematuresco, -escere, -ui

Part of Speech

Next comes the part of speech (noun, verb, adjective etc), shown in italics. Part of speech abbreviations used in the dictionary are shown in the abbreviations list (p vii). Where a word has more than one part of speech, each new part of speech is preceded by a black lozenge (*). If a Latin headword is a preposition, the case taken by the preposition comes immediately after the part of speech, in italics and in brackets.

era, -ae f
ticklish adj
thunder n tonitrus m * vi tonare, intonare.
erga prep (with acc) towards; against.

Meanings

Where a word or a part of speech has only one meaning, the translation comes immediately after the part of speech. However, many words have more than one meaning. Where the context is likely to show which translation is correct, variations in meaning are simply separated by a semi-colon. But usually there will also be an "indicator" in italics and in brackets. Some meanings relate to specific subject areas, for example religion, politics, military matters etc -these indicators are in small italic capitals.

ensiger, -i adj with his sword.
toy n crepundia ntpl * vi ludere.
toll collector n exactor m; portitor m.
eo, -ire, ivi and ii, itum vi to go; (MIL) to march; (time) to pass; (event) to proceed, turn out.

TranslationsMost words can be translated directly. On the English-Latin side, I translations of nouns include the gender of the Latin noun in italics. However, sometimes a phrase is needed to show how aword is used, but in some cases a direct translation of a phrasewould be meaningless: the symbol ~ in front of a translationshows that the translation is natural English, but does not meanword for word what the Latin means. Sometimes, even anapproximate translation would not be very helpful (for placenames, for example) -- in these cases, an explanation in italics isgiven instead. In other cases, the user will need more informa-tion than simply the translation; in these cases, "indicators" areincluded in the translation(s), giving, for instance, the caserequired by a Latin verb or preposition or further details about aplace or person.

thumb n pollex m; have under one's ~ in potestate sua habere.
elephantomacha, -ae m fighter mounted on an elephant.
Erymanthus, -i m mountain range in Arcadia (where Hercules killed the bear).
thwart vt obstare (dat), officere (lot).

Pronunciation

Since Latin pronunciation is regular, once the basic rules have been learned (see pp xi-xiii), the dictionary does not show phonetic transcriptions against each headword, but does show all long vowels.

Other Information

The dictionary also includes: a basic grammar section information about life in Roman times:
-- how numbers and dates were calculated and expressed -- geographical names -- key events in Roman history -- (important historical and mythological characters and events are listed within the body of the main text). a section on Latin poetry and scansion

Edition details

• Publisher: Collins Reference
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 000470763X
• ISBN 13: 9780004707631
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 752