Translation
storm, tempest; weather; period of time
Examples
fregit.
The storm broke the ship.
.
A great storm suddenly arose.
regnabat.
At that time a king was reigning.
tempestatem timebant.
The sailors were badly afraid of the storm.
tempestatem quievit.
After the storm the sea grew calm.
Tempestas, tempestatis, f., third declension, built straight on tempus. The older meaning is simply a stretch of time, and it survives as a fixed phrase: Sallust's ea tempestate means "at that period", not "in that storm", and reading weather into it wrecks the sentence.
From "season" it went to "weather", and from "weather" it narrowed to bad weather, which is the dominant sense by the classical period. For good weather you have to say so: bona tempestas, or use serenitas. English took only the storm, so tempest is a false friend for the temporal sense and a good friend for everything else. The related tempestivus, "timely, seasonable", keeps the original meaning alive.
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tempestas: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Latin word "tempestas" (storm, tempest; weather; period of time): 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 part of lesson 17.