Core Latin Vocabulary

Why learn Latin words?

Vocabulary is the foundation of reading Latin. A small set of core words comes up again and again, so once you know them, an unseen passage stops looking like code. A short sentence such as puella in villa habitat, meaning the girl lives in the house, is built entirely from three core words you will meet in this module. There is a bonus: because English borrowed so heavily from Latin, many Latin words look like an English word you already know. That link is one of the best ways to make the vocabulary stick. This module teaches the core words grouped by meaning, and shows how each can lead you to an English word that helps you remember it.

Core words for people

Learn these core words for people. Each is written with its English meaning.

People and places

Grouping words by meaning makes them far easier to learn. Here are two useful groups.

How to work out a word

When you meet a Latin word you only half-remember, do not freeze. First ask whether it looks like an English word, because a Latin word very often hides inside an English one you already know. Next use the rest of the sentence: the surrounding words usually narrow down what would make sense. Then check that your guess actually fits the whole phrase rather than just feeling right. A strong reader does not memorise a list in a vacuum; they link each word to an English relative and to the sentences it appears in, and they always test a guess against the context before trusting it.

Match the Latin word to its meaning

The word behind aquarium

The English word aquarium comes from a Latin word. Which Latin word is it, and what does that Latin word mean?

• aqua, meaning water
• ager, meaning field
• arma, meaning weapons
• annus, meaning year

Which words mean people?

Select the TWO Latin words that name people.

• femina, meaning woman
• nauta, meaning sailor
• silva, meaning wood
• pecunia, meaning money

Latin hidden in English

Spotting the English relative of a Latin word is a memory trick that really works. video means I see, and you can hear it in the English words video and visible. urbs means city, and it survives in the English words urban and suburb. Once you start looking, these links appear everywhere, and each one gives you a hook to hang the Latin word on.

Match the Latin root to its English word

Build the Latin sentence

Choose the words that complete the sentence meaning: the girl lives in the house.

Complete the Latin meanings

The Latin word rex means _____, and regina means _____. The word aqua means _____, and silva means a _____.

Spot the true Latin facts

Tap the TWO statements that are true.

• The Latin word puella means girl
• The English word urban comes from the Latin urbs, meaning city
• The Latin word aqua means fire
• The Latin word rex means road

Read the Latin

Read each case and choose the best response, then think about why.

• You meet the Latin word portat in a passage and half-remember it. Which English word best helps you guess its meaning?
• You see the word aqua in a sentence about a garden. What does it most likely mean?
• You want to learn vocabulary so that it lasts. What is the best approach?

Explain how to learn the words

A student in the year below learns Latin words by staring at the list and hoping they stick. Explain a better way to learn Latin vocabulary.

• Explain why knowing the core words helps you read unseen Latin
• Give two Latin words and their English meanings
• Explain how an English word can help you remember a Latin word
• Give one Latin word and the English word it gives