Dictionary formletum, leti(neuter)
Translation
death, destruction
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Grammar
Cases
| Case | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominativethe subject | letum | leta |
| Vocativecalling someone: O ... | letum | leta |
| Accusativethe direct object; after ad, in (into), per | letum | leta |
| Genitiveof | leti | letorum |
| Dativeto, for | leto | letis |
| Ablativeby, with, from; after a, ab, cum, de, e, ex, in (in), sine | leto | letis |
Examples
.
He was put to death by the king.
conscivit.
He took his own life.
Turpe .
He always feared a shameful death.
.
He put many enemies to death.
.
Fear of death held them all.
Letum, leti, n., second declension. Poetic and archaic where mors is the ordinary word, so it belongs to epic, tragedy and old legal formulae rather than to prose narrative.
The phrase to know is leto dare, "to put to death", literally "to give over to destruction", with the dative; Vergil uses it constantly. Also letum sibi consciscere, "to resolve on death for oneself", which is the formal way of reporting a suicide. Ancient etymologists connected it to Lethe, the river of forgetting, which is a satisfying story and wrong - the Greek word has a different root. The adjective letalis gave English lethal, so lethal and Lethe are only accidental cousins.
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letum: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Latin word "letum" (death, destruction): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is taught in chapter 9, lesson 10: letum, simulacrum, tenuis and 6 more words.