Latin-Based Words for Colors and Other Things

These words were borrowed from Latin and have become common in English

Double rainbow over the Colosseum at the entrance to the Roman Forum, Via Sacra, Piazza Del Colosseo, Rome, Italy — David Clapp/Getty Images

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Updated on November 04, 2019

English has a lot of words of Latin origin. In fact, 60 percent of the English language comes from Latin. Here are some Latin words—in this case, adjectives—for colors:

prasinus, -a, - um: green
purpureus, -a, -um: purple (purple)
caeruleus, -a, -um: blue (cerulean)
lividus, -a, -um: black and blue (livid)
niger: black (denigrate)
ater, atra, atrum: black (dark) (atrabilious)
fuscus, -a, -um: dark (obfuscate)
ravus, -a, -um: gray
canus, -a, -um: gray or white (hair)
albus, -a, -um: white (alb)
flavus, -a, -um: yellow (pale) (riboflavin)
fulvus, -a, -um: golden yellow
croceus, -a, -um: saffron (crocus)
ruber, rubra, rubrum: red (rubella)
roseus, -a, -um: rose-red (rose)

Other Latin Words Imported Into English

Some Latin words are changed to make them more like English words, often by changing the ending (e.g., "office" from the Latin "officium"), but other Latin words are kept intact in English. Of these words, some are unfamiliar and are generally italicized or placed in quotation marks to show that they are foreign, but others are used with nothing to set them apart as imported. You may not even be aware that they are from Latin. Here are some such words:

Latin Word	Definition	English Derivatives
villa	villa, house	villa, village, villager
alta	tall, high, deep	altitude, altimeter, alto
antiqua	antique, old	antique, antiquity, ancient
longa	long	longitude, longevity, long
magna	large, great	magnify, magnificent, magnitude
pictura	picture	picture, picturesque, pictorial
nova	new	novice, novel, novelty, nova, Nova Scotia
terra	land, earth	terrier, terrace, terrestrial, terrain
prima	first	prime, primary, primitive, primeval
sub	under	subway, subterranean, suburban
corna	horn	cornucopia, cornet, clavicorn
est	is	estate, establish, essence
habere	have	have, habit, habitual
casa	small house	casino
via	street	via
parva	small	parval, parvanimity
lata	wide, broad	latitude, lateral, latitudinal
bona	good	bonus, bonanza, bona fide
copia	plenty	copious, cornucopia, copiously
fama	fame	fame, famous, infamous
provincia	province	province, provincial, provincialism
multa	many	multitude, multiple, multiplex
nominare	to name	nominate, nominal, name, nominative
postea	later	postlude, postgraduate, posthumous
non	not	nonfction, nonmetal, nonexistent
in	in	in
aqua	water	aquatics, aquarium, aqueduct, aqueous
agricola	farmer	agriculture
bestia	beast	bestial, bestiality
figura	figure, shape	figure, figurine, figment, figurative
flamma	flame	flame, flamboyant, flambeau
herba	herb	herb, herbivorous, herbage
insula	island	insular, insulate, insularity
lingua	language	language, lingual, linguistics
nauta	sailor	nautical, nautilus
pirata	pirate	pirate, piratical
schola	school	scholar, school, scholastic
alba	white	albino, albinism albumen
amica	friendly	amicable, amicability, amity
beata	happy	beatific, beatify, beatitude
maritima	sea	maritime
mea	me	me, my
mira	strange	miracle, miraculous, mirage
nota	noted	noted, note, notice, notable, noticeable
obscura	dark	obscure, obscured, obscurity
periculosa	dangerous	perilous, peril
propinqua	near to	propinquity
pulchra	beautiful	pulchritude
quieta	quiet	quiet, quietude, disquiet
circum	around	circumstance, circumnavigate, circumspect
filia	daughter	filly, filial
folium	leaf	foliage, foliaceous, foliar
aureus	golden	aurorial, aurorean, aurous
plumbeus	leaden	plumbing, plumbous, plumbic, plumbeous
mutare	to change	mutation, commute, transmute
vulnerare	to wound	vulnerable, invulnerable, vulnerary
vitare	to avoid	inevitable, inevitably, inevitability
morbus	disease	morbid, morbidity, morbific
populus	people	populous, population, popular
radius	ray	radius, radial, radiation
arma	arms (weapons)	arms, armed, armament, army
saxum	rock	saxatile, saxicoline, saxifrage
evocare	call forth	evoke, evocable, evocator
femina	woman	feminine, effeminate, femme
densa	thick	dense, densely, density
territa	frightened	terrified, terrific

Translating Latin Into English

Whether you want to translate a short English phrase into Latin or a Latin phrase into English, you can't just plug the words into a dictionary and expect an accurate result. You can't with most modern languages, either, but the lack of one-to-one correspondence is even greater between Latin and English.

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Gill, N.S. "Latin-Based Words for Colors and Other Things." ThoughtCo, Jun. 25, 2024, thoughtco.com/words-for-colors-in-latin-121490. Gill, N.S. (2024, June 25). Latin-Based Words for Colors and Other Things. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/words-for-colors-in-latin-121490 Gill, N.S. "Latin-Based Words for Colors and Other Things." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/words-for-colors-in-latin-121490 (accessed April 4, 2025).