How would I say "heart" in Latin?

12 ⤊

How would I say "heart" in Latin?

"Heart" as in the "love" sense of the word. I've done some research and seen "pectus," and other translations, but I don't know if that is correct. I'd love if anyone who knows Latin or anything about latin could help me out!

2007-12-31 13:16:35 · 15 answers · asked by spuget 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages

Alright, now I have another question:

"Cor" seems to be the reoccurring answer. I also saw "cordis." Does that mean the same thing? Is it just another form of the same word?

I'm thinking of pairing it with "caveat" for a tattoo. Does/would that make sense? "Caveat cor" or "caveat cordis?"

2007-12-31 13:32:38 · update #1

Does "caveat cordis" make sense?
What does "caveat cordis" mean when translated to English?
And "caveat cor?"

2007-12-31 15:07:58 · update #2

15 answers

A good answer to your question is not "What I believe or what looks better" but what the Romans wrote!
The word Heart can be translated with "Cor" and with "pectus"; let's see some exemples:
1)COR:
Cicero, Div.1,119: "consilium et vita a corde profiscuntur" =The life and intelligence come from the heart;
Plautus: "cor habere"= to be wise";
Lucrece: "hebes cor"= poor intelligence;
Horace, A.P.98= "cor spectantis tetigisse querella" = to move the heart of spectators.
2)PECTUS:
Cicero, Leg.1,49: " toto pectore" = with all the heart;
Horace, Ep. 1,46: "corpus sine pectore" = body without soul;
So what does translate "love"?
Plautus wrote :" Cor meum"= my love!
and again "corde amare" =to love with passion!

It should be clear that "COR" is the best translation in your case.

2008-01-04 02:10:32 · answer #1 · answered by odisseo 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋

Latin For Heart

2016-12-18 08:46:38 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
How would I say "heart" in Latin?
"Heart" as in the "love" sense of the word. I've done some research and seen "pectus," and other translations, but I don't know if that is correct. I'd love if anyone who knows Latin or anything about latin could help me out!

2016-02-07 21:51:42 · answer #3 · answered by Nadia 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋

Heart is in Latin "cor"- nominative and accusative
Cordis means "of the heart" =- genitive
Pectus has more the meaning of breast, chest.

Caveat is the 3rd sing.person of the present subjunctive of caveo and "Caveat cor" translates "Let the heart beware".

Caveat cordis is wrong since here heart can't be used the genitive .

Should you give to your phrase an imperative meaning as
"beware of the heart" it would be "cave cor".

Edit #1 - Not to argue with Dollhaus' answer but I guess she's not right. I'm not a regular reader of Latin's classics like she seems to be but I clearly remember "cor" is also used as "the seat of emotions sense"(she wrote so...!). For instance in the expression "sursum corda" (see this link for meaning http://dictionary.reverso.net/english-definitions/sursum%20corda) I can't believe are the physyical hearts that have to be lifted up...!!

2007-12-31 21:00:38 · answer #4 · answered by martox45 7 · 3⤊ 1⤋

Cor = heart. That is indeed correct, but may not be what you want.

Your original research was closer to what would have been said in Latin. In English, we say that emotions/feelings/love come from the heart. The Romans said they came from the breast. (That's actually pretty close to our concept - some cultures say they come from the liver.)

The Latin word for breast is 'pectus'. Some Latin dictionary entries will show 'heart' as a definition for 'pectus'. That's not in the biological sense as a part of the body - it's in the seat of emotions sense.

So, to convey the thought you want, a Roman would have said 'Caveat Pectus' for 'Let the heart beware' and 'Cave Pectus' for 'Beware of the heart.'

'Caveat Cor' is a literal translation of English, but is essentially meaningless in Latin.

ADDED: Cor may be used in ecclesiastical Latin. However, in classic Latin, pectus was the word used. "To love one's friend with the whole heart' was 'Amicum toto pectore amare' in Cicero's De Legibus. Quintilianis used 'Pectus est quod disertos facit' for "It is the heart that makes eloquent.'

ADDED 2: Well, a lot of opposition. To quote from Smith and Hall: "N. B. - Cor is rarely used fig. to denote [begin Italics] the affections [end Italics]: v. infr."

And the later entry:

"The heart as the seat of emotions: 1. pectus, oris..... 2. animus.... 3. cor (infreq. in this sense)..."

The same information is repeated elsewhere. Yes, cor may be used - but its use figuratively for affections was rare; pectus was more frequent.

ADDED 3: Ab imo pectore, I believe the above to be correct. .

2008-01-01 02:11:31 · answer #5 · answered by dollhaus 7 · 3⤊ 3⤋

2015-08-10 08:01:03 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋

In Ecclesiastical Latin the word "cor" is used. I remember, for example, singing in Dvorak's "Stabat Mater":
"Fac ut ardeat cor meum
In amando Christum Deum."

"Let my heart burn
with love for Christ my God".

The following link gives the words, but the English rendering is not a translation. I agree with my good friend Martox that "cor" is the word you want here. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stabat_Mater

With caveat you need the accusative case, viz: "caveat cor". Beware of the heart or let the heart beware. The ambiguity comes from the fact that "cor" is both nominative and accusative.

I would add that when the Bible speaks of loving with all one's heart the expression is "ex toto corde" -- with the whole heart.

2008-01-02 01:01:33 · answer #7 · answered by Doethineb 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋

Latin :cor,cordis
Spanish: corazón
French: cœur

2007-12-31 13:25:04 · answer #8 · answered by ニキタ_クシナ 5 · 2⤊ 2⤋

Cor is the word for heart.
Cordis is how you say "of the heart"
with "caveat" you should probably use cor

Pectus is another word for heart, but it usually means chest.

2007-12-31 15:00:40 · answer #9 · answered by browneyes 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋

can anybody help me, I need latin words for "new heart"

2016-01-28 07:46:14 · answer #10 · answered by Martian King 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋