legatus

See also: Legatus

Latin

Etymology

Perfect passive participle of lēgō (“send, despatch”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /leːˈɡaː.tus/, [ɫ̪eːˈɡäːt̪ʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /leˈɡa.tus/, [leˈɡäːt̪us]

Noun

lēgātus m (genitive lēgātī); second declension

1. envoy, ambassador, legate
2. deputy
3. commander, lieutenant
   • c. 52 BCE, Julius Caesar, Commentarii de Bello Gallico 6.6:

     Caesar partitis copiis cum Gaio Fabio legato et Marco Crasso quaestore celeriterque effectis pontibus adit tripertito, aedificia vicosque incendit, magno pecoris atque hominum numero potitur.

     Caesar, having divided his forces with C. Fabius, his lieutenant, and M. Crassus his questor, and having hastily constructed some bridges, enters their country in three divisions, burns their houses and villages, and gets possession of a large number of cattle and men.

Declension

Second-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	lēgātus	lēgātī
Genitive	lēgātī	lēgātōrum
Dative	lēgātō	lēgātīs
Accusative	lēgātum	lēgātōs
Ablative	lēgātō	lēgātīs
Vocative	lēgāte	lēgātī

Related terms

• lēgātiō
• lēgātōrius

Descendants

• Catalan: legat, llegat
• → English: legate
• French: légat
• Galician: legado
• Italian: legato
• Occitan: legat
• Portuguese: legado
• → Russian: легат (legat)
• Spanish: legado

Participle

lēgātus (feminine lēgāta, neuter lēgātum); first/second-declension participle

1. sent, despatched, having been sent.

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

Number	Singular				Plural
Case / Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	lēgātus	lēgāta	lēgātum		lēgātī	lēgātae	lēgāta
Genitive	lēgātī	lēgātae	lēgātī		lēgātōrum	lēgātārum	lēgātōrum
Dative	lēgātō		lēgātō		lēgātīs
Accusative	lēgātum	lēgātam	lēgātum		lēgātōs	lēgātās	lēgāta
Ablative	lēgātō	lēgātā	lēgātō		lēgātīs
Vocative	lēgāte	lēgāta	lēgātum		lēgātī	lēgātae	lēgāta

References

• “legatus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “legatus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• legatus in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• legatus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• “legatus”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “legatus”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin