QCAA Latin (SEE) key terms

A Latin participial phrase made up of a noun and a participle in the ablative case, grammatically separate from the main clause and usually rendered in English by a clause beginning with 'when', 'since', 'after', or 'with'.

The Latin case that most often marks means, instrument, agent with a passive verb, manner, accompaniment, separation, or location. Its many uses make it the case students must analyse most carefully when translating.

The Latin case chiefly used for the direct object of a verb and after many prepositions. It also appears in the subject of indirect statements and in expressions of extent of time or space.

The Latin case marking the indirect object, the person interested or advantaged, and the possessor in constructions with esse. It also follows certain verbs and compound adjectives that take an object in English.

The Latin case expressing possession, description, part of a whole, and objective or subjective relationships between nouns. It is often translated with 'of' or an apostrophe-s in English.

A verbal adjective formed from a verb stem. Latin uses present, perfect, future, and gerundive forms, each carrying tense and voice while agreeing with a noun in case, number, and gender.

A passive verbal adjective ending in -ndus, -nda, -ndum that expresses obligation or fitness, as in 'delenda est Carthago'. With esse it forms the passive periphrastic, whose agent stands in the dative.

A reported clause introduced by a verb of saying, thinking, or perceiving, with its subject in the accusative and its verb in the infinitive. English instead uses 'that' plus a finite clause.

The non-finite verb form naming an action without marking person or number. Latin infinitives carry tense and voice and appear in indirect statements, after modal verbs, and as subjects or complements.

The rule that a subordinate subjunctive takes present or perfect tense after a primary main verb and imperfect or pluperfect after a historic main verb. It signals whether the subordinate action is simultaneous, prior, or later.

A Latin verb mood expressing possibility, wish, command, purpose, result, or reported thought rather than plain fact. Recognising its triggers, such as ut, cum, and si, is essential to accurate translation.

A subordinate clause expressing the aim of an action, introduced by ut or ne with its verb in the subjunctive. English equivalent commonly uses 'in order to' or 'so that'.

A subordinate clause showing a consequence, introduced by ut or ut non and often signalled in the main clause by words such as tam, ita, or tantus. Its verb stands in the subjunctive.

A subordinate clause introduced by cum. With the indicative it usually means 'when'; with the subjunctive it may mean 'when', 'since', or 'although', and context decides which.

A reported question whose verb appears in the subjunctive after verbs of asking, knowing, or wondering. The original question word is retained, but English restores normal word order.

A Latin verb with passive form but active meaning, such as loqui, sequi, and proficisci. Its participles may still carry passive or active force depending on tense.

The verb form presenting the subject as receiving rather than performing the action. Latin forms it with distinctive endings and, in perfect tenses, with a participle plus a form of esse.

The matching of adjectives, participles, and pronouns with the nouns they describe in case, number, and gender. Relative pronouns agree with their antecedent in gender and number but take case from their own clause.

A subordinate clause introduced by a form of qui, quae, quod that describes a preceding noun. Its verb is usually indicative, but it may be subjunctive in reported speech or for a stated reason.

A word governing a noun in the accusative or ablative case to express place, time, means, or direction. The case it takes is fixed and must be learned with the noun phrase.

A verb used only in the third person singular with no expressed subject, such as licet, oportet, or placet. Its logical subject often appears in the dative or an accusative plus infinitive.

The dactylic line of six feet used in epic and didactic verse. Each foot is a dactyl or spondee, and the fifth foot is almost always a dactyl, giving the metre its characteristic rhythm.

A pair of lines consisting of a dactylic hexameter followed by a pentameter. Used by elegiac poets such as Catullus, Propertius, Tibullus, and Ovid for love poetry, lament, and myth.

The measured pattern of long and short syllables that shapes Latin verse. Identifying the metre helps a reader hear pauses, emphasis, and sound effects that support interpretation of the poem.

The process of marking each syllable in a verse as long or short and dividing the line into feet. Accurate scansion requires attention to vowel quantity, consonant clusters, and elision.

The dropping of a final vowel or a final -m before a word beginning with a vowel or h. Elision affects syllable count and must be noted when scanning a line.

A word break within a metrical foot, most often in the third foot of a hexameter. It creates a pause for emphasis or sense and is frequently discussed in stylistic analysis.

The deliberate separation of words that belong together, such as an adjective from its noun. Latin word order is flexible, so this device creates suspense, emphasis, or a distinctive poetic texture.

A figure in which elements are arranged in the order ABBA, reversing the expected pattern. It often balances two halves of a clause and draws attention to contrast or symmetry.

A series of three parallel clauses or phrases, often building to a climax. Common in Roman oratory, it gives a sentence rhythm, weight, and a sense of completeness.

The repetition of the same word at the beginning of successive clauses or lines. It creates insistence, emotional force, or rhetorical momentum in both prose and verse.

The omission of conjunctions between words or clauses that would normally be linked. The resulting clipped style can convey speed, urgency, or a bare, factual tone.

The deliberate repetition of conjunctions, especially et or -que, to link a series of items. It slows the pace and can suggest abundance, weight, or relentless accumulation.

The running of a sentence or phrase past the end of a verse line into the next. Poets use it to create momentum, surprise, or emphasis on the word that opens the new line.

An explicit comparison introduced in Latin by qualis, velut, or tamquam. Extended epic similes often draw on nature or daily life and invite interpretation of the action they illustrate.

The application of a word to something it does not literally denote, implying a comparison without using a marker such as 'like'. Sustained metaphors shape the imagery and themes of a passage.

The attribution of human qualities, speech, or action to a non-human thing, such as a river, rumour, or the sea. It is frequent in epic and in rhetorical prose for vivid, emotional effect.

A direct address to a person, god, place, or abstract quality that is absent or cannot respond. Poets use it to heighten emotion or to frame a comment on the narrative.

A gap between what is stated and what is meant, or between expectation and outcome. In Latin texts it may be verbal, dramatic, or a broader tragic irony in the narrative.

The Roman virtue of dutiful devotion to gods, family, and state, often translated 'duty' or 'devotion'. Aeneas embodies it, and the term is central to interpreting the Aeneid.

The Roman ideal of manly courage, excellence, and moral worth, often displayed in battle or public service. Its meaning shifts with context between physical bravery and ethical character.

The divine utterance or fixed destiny that governs events in Roman epic and historiography. Characters debate whether fate can be resisted, and the term raises questions about free will.

Rage or frenzied passion that overwhelms reason, often contrasted with pietas and order. In the Aeneid it is associated with Juno, Turnus, and Dido's destructive love.

The public renown won through great deeds and commemorated by others. Roman aristocrats competed for it, and the pursuit of glory shapes the values expressed in epic and oratory.

The patron and client bound by a reciprocal relationship of protection, favours, and political support. This network of patronage structured Roman social and literary life.

The advisory council of Rome, composed mainly of former magistrates and dominated by the elite. It controlled finance and foreign policy and was a central arena of political competition.

One of the two annually elected chief magistrates who commanded armies and presided over the state. The consulship was the summit of the normal career path, the cursus honorum.

A magistrate elected to protect plebeian interests, with the power to veto and to summon assemblies. The office became a tool for popular politicians in the late Republic.

The art of persuasive speech taught in Roman education and central to public life. Oratorical training shaped the style and structure of much Latin prose literature.

A practice speech on a fictional or historical theme, delivered in schools as training for oratory. It developed skills in argument and style that appear in Roman literary prose.