Latin Participles and the English Words They Created
How Latin participles work, the present and perfect types, and how they explain English words like agent, student and educated.
A participle is a verb form that acts like an adjective. Latin has several, and they have shaped English vocabulary more than most learners realise.
Present participle
The present participle means "-ing" and ends in -ns, with the stem -nt-:
| Verb | Present participle | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| amō | amāns, amantis | loving |
| videō | vidēns, videntis | seeing |
| regō | regēns, regentis | ruling |
| audiō | audiēns, audientis | hearing |
Puella rosam vidēns rīdet. — The girl, seeing the rose, laughs.
Perfect passive participle
This means "having been ...ed", and is the fourth principal part with adjective endings (-us, -a, -um):
| Verb | Participle | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| amō | amātus, -a, -um | loved, having been loved |
| videō | vīsus, -a, -um | seen |
| regō | rēctus, -a, -um | ruled |
| audiō | audītus, -a, -um | heard |
- urbs condita — the city having been founded
Where English gets its words
Many English words come directly from Latin participles:
| English | Latin source | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| agent | agēns | doing |
| student | studēns | being eager |
| president | praesidēns | sitting in front |
| parent | parēns | bringing forth |
| current | currēns | running |
| educated | ēducātus | brought up |
| prepared | praeparātus | made ready |
| perfect | perfectus | completed |
Many English words ending in -ent and -ant come from present participles. Words ending in -ate and -ed often come from perfect participles.
Ablative absolute
A phrase made of a noun and a participle in the ablative, cut off from the rest of the sentence, is called an ablative absolute:
- urbe captā — the city having been captured
- hīs dictīs — these things having been said
It's a common Latin way to express time, cause or circumstance.
Tips
- Learn -ns/-ntis and -tus/-a/-um.
- Use participles to guess English words.
- Use the dictionary to check forms.
English Latin Dictionary
Offline English–Latin dictionary for students, classics and word-origin lookups
More about English Latin Dictionary
From Latin to Italian, Spanish, French and Portuguese
How everyday Latin turned into the Romance languages, with side-by-side word comparisons that help you spot patterns.
Read article →Great Latin Authors: Vergil, Ovid, Cicero and Caesar
A short tour of the major Roman writers, what each is famous for, and a famous opening line from each to practise reading.
Read article →Latin in Law: Habeas Corpus, Pro Bono and Prima Facie
The Latin terms still used in courts and legal writing, what each means literally, and how understanding the Latin helps you remember them.
Read article →Latin in Medicine and Science: From Anatomy to Prescriptions
How Latin shapes anatomy, medical terms and prescription abbreviations, with examples that show how to decode unfamiliar medical words.
Read article →