Paul B. Diederich's Basic Vocabulary of Ancient and Medieval Latin - Index - Nouns and Related Words

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Kyle

Paul B. Diederich’s Basic Vocabulary of Ancient and Medieval Latin presents a curated core set of Latin words selected from three anthologies of ancient Latin prose and poetry and medieval Latin. Words appearing more than twenty times are grouped into memorization-friendly categories, enabling readers to recognize 83.6% of the covered vocabulary while excluding proper names and mostly medieval-specific terms. The edition includes an index and marks distinguishing word forms with “d.”

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages34

Reading Time52 min

AccessFree to download

Index

I. Nouns and Related Words

II. Pronouns

III. Verbs and Related Words

IV. Adjectives and Related Words

V. Adverbs

VI. Interjections

VII. Conjunctions

VIII. Prepositions and Prefixes

Paul B. Diederich's Basic Vocabulary of Ancient and Medieval Latin Scope: In 1939 Paul B. Diederich published a paper titled "The frequency of Latin words and their endings" . In this paper Diederich listed the frequency of Latin words in three anthologies covering ancient Latin prose and poetry and medieval Latin. From these words he chose the most frequent ones, i.e. those used more than twenty times, to create a "basic vocabulary"divided into various categories for easier memorization. According to him, this basic vocabulary enables the reader to recognize 83.6 percent of the vocabulary of these anthologies (excluding proper names and certain words important almost entirely in medieval literature) . Note: Words which must be distinguished are marked by the abbreviation "d." Index INDEX ................................................................................................................. 1 I. Nouns and Related Words ................................................................................. 2 II. Pronouns....................................................................................................... 12 III. Verbs and Related Words .............................................................................. 13 IV. Adjectives and Related Words ........................................................................ 25 V. Adverbs ......................................................................................................... 30 VI. Interjections ................................................................................................. 32 VII. Conjunctions ............................................................................................... 32 VIII. Prepositions and Prefixes ............................................................................ 33 21 July 2020 (3rd edition) Carolus Raeticus I. Nouns and Related Words 1. Gods | deus, -ī, m. | god | | --- | --- | | -dea, -ae, f. | -goddess | | -dīvīnus, -a, -um | -divine | | -dīvus, -a, -um | -divine | | -dīves, -itis [d.] | -rich [d.] | | nympha, -ae, f. | Nymph | | religiō, -ōnis, f. | religion | | templum, -ī, n. | temple | | āra, -ae, f. | altar | | vātēs, -is, mf. | prophet, soothsayer, poet | | vōtum, -ī, n. | vow, prayer | | -dēvoveō, -ēre, -vōvī, -vōtum | -to devote | | nūmen, -inis, n. | divine will or power, divinity | | fātum, -ī, n. | fate | | -fortūna, -ae, f. | -fortune | | -sors, sortis, f. | -lot, luck | 2. Time | tempus, -oris, n. | time | | --- | --- | | aetās, -ātis, f. | age | | -aevum, -ī, n. | -age | | -saeculum, -ī, n. | -age; century | | aestās, -ātis, f. | summer | | -aestus, -ūs, m. [d.] | -heat, tide, wave, storm [d.] | | vēr, vēris, n. | spring | | -vernus, -a, -um | -spring-like, vernal | | hiem(p)s, hiemis, f. | winter, storm | | annus, -ī, m. | year | | mēnsis, -is, m. | month | | -mēnsa, -ae, f. [d.] | -table [d.] | | diēs, -ēī, m. | day | | nox, noctis, f. | night | | -nocturnus, -a, -um | -nightly | | -tenebrae, -ārum, f. (pl.) | -darkness | | -umbra, -ae, f. | -shade, shadow | | -somnus, -ī, m. | -sleep | | -somnium, -ī, n. | -dream | | hōra, -ae, f. | hour | | mora, -ae, f. | delay | | -moror, -āri, -ātus sum | - (dep.) to delay, linger | 3. Sky | mundus, -ī, m. | world, universe, heavenly body | | --- | --- | | -mundus, -a, -um [d.] | -neat, clean [d.] | | -orbis, -is, m. | -circle, world | | -caelum, -ī, n. | -sky | | caelestis, -e | heavenly | | -caeruleus, -a, -um | -blue | | -polus, -ī, m. | -pole of the earth, sky | | sīdus, -eris, n. | star, constellation, season | | -stēlla, -ae, f. | -star, planet | | -astrum, -ī, n. | -star | | sōl, sōlis m. | sun | | āēr, āeris, m. | air | | -aes, aeris, n. [d.] | -copper, brass, money [d.] | | aethēr, -eris, m. | upper air, heaven | | aura, -ae, f. | air, breeze | | -auris, -is, f. [d.] | -ear [d.] | | -aurum, -ī, n. [d.] | -gold [d.] | | ventus, -ī, m. | wind | | nūbēs, -is, f. | cloud | | tempestās, -āt

FAQs

How was Diederich’s basic Latin vocabulary selected?

The list was built from three anthologies of ancient Latin prose and poetry and medieval Latin, then restricted to words occurring more than twenty times.

What does the note “d.” mean in the vocabulary lists?

Words that must be distinguished are marked with the abbreviation “d.”

What coverage percentage does the basic vocabulary aim to achieve?

It enables recognition of 83.6% of the vocabulary from the anthologies, excluding proper names and certain words important almost entirely in medieval literature.

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Kyle