Vocabulary List

A page from a Latin dictionary showing parts of several entries. For every student, there is "a way" to learn vocabulary efficiently. Hopefully, by now, you've accumulated a decent baseline vocabulary of Latin terms using the method(s) that work for you.

With that in mind, the College Board (the group that creates and monitors AP curricula) has created a list of 1000 Latin "must-know" vocabulary words. Fortunately, these are some of the most common vocabulary words in Latin, so you have likely encountered most, if not all, of this vocabulary in previous Latin courses.

For each module, you will be provided a list of vocabulary terms specific to the content. Instead of treating this list as a source of new information, you should reference the module vocabulary as a part of your baseline. You will inevitably encounter new vocabulary within the Latin passages we read that is not included within the module list - it is important to note this vocabulary, as this is where you will build up from the list's baseline.

Dictionary Handout and Notes

Download the Module Vocabulary Handout

To reiterate: the vocabulary presented in this handout should serve as a baseline of your understanding of Latin vocabulary. Review the list and note any unfamiliar vocabulary for practice. Also, be aware that the College Board has a few specific quirks in how they display vocabulary. Review the following info to help guide you through the provided list.

4^th PP: There are two options for the final principal part of a regular (non-deponent) verb. You will see either of these forms depending on your source:
- Ends in -um (amo, amare, amavi, amatum) = accusative supine form.
  - This is a commonly used form for Latin dictionaries, including the College Board vocabulary list.
- Ends in -us (amo, amare, amavi, amatus) = perfect passive participle form.
Genitive singular, 2^nd declension masculine, nouns ending in -ius. There are two options for the genitive form that you will see, depending on your source:
- Ends in -ii (Caelius, Caelii). This is the form used in the AP Latin course. In this case, you drop the second -i to obtain the noun base.
- Ends in -i (Caelius, Caeli). Certain dictionaries prefer the single -i genitive. In this case, the genitive form and the noun base are identical.
Abbreviated forms. Many dictionaries abbreviate various forms to save space:
- Verbs: principal parts are often expressed as simple endings when using a common form:
  - amo, -are, -avi, -atus = amo, amare, amavi, amatus
  - relinquo, -ere, reliqui, relictus = relinquo, relinquere, reliqui, relictus
- Nouns will often be listed with the nominative form, followed only by the genitive ending, if the nominative uses the noun’s base:
  - nauta, -ae = nauta, nautae
  - servus, -i = servus, servi
  - canis, -is = canis, canis
- Adjectives, like nouns, will be listed with just the masculine form fully spelled, followed by the feminine and neuter endings, if they all use a common base:
  - 1st/2nd decl: verus, -a, -um = verus, vera, verum
  - 3rd decl: similis, -e = similis, simile

Vocabulary Notes

Before we move on, let's talk about strategies for learning and retaining vocabulary.

Note cards are an excellent method for rote learning (repeating words again and again until they "stick"). A tried and true method, but one that fails to give context for the vocabulary. Use this method as a starting point when presented with large amounts of vocabulary to quickly note strengths and weaknesses (use elimination piles: know it, almost know it, don't know it, etc.).
The best way to truly strengthen your Latin vocabulary is to learn contextually. Much of our vocabulary focus in this course will center around the notion of using context to determine meaning. This is (or should be) similar to how you process new vocabulary in English - at some point, lists and lists of words won't help you to properly read any language. It takes approaching the reading, processing what you know and using that context to fill in gaps. With this in mind, vocabulary assessment in this course will be contextual (you won't be given a list of words and asked to define them on a test - instead, you'll be asked to explain what a word means within its context).
- Example: Discipuli studiosi diligenter laboraverunt ut libros quos legerent cognovissent.
  - What does the word studiosi mean in the above sentence?
    - tired
    - lazy
    - eager
    - quiet
- For this example, if you didn't know that studiosi meant eager, you could use the context of "diligenter laboraverunt" (worked hard) to eliminate lazy. At that point, selecting from the remaining options is a matter of finding the best fit for the sentence: are they tired students, eager students or quiet students. The context of the sentence points to eager.
- We're not talking grammar right now, but keep in mind: you'll also be asked about grammar contextually. For example, another question from this same sentence might be: what mood is legerent and why?
  - It's subjunctive as it is in a dependent clause within another dependent subjunctive clause (any dependent verbs in subjunctive clauses are automatically placed in the subjunctive mood as well).

Latin Reference Books - A Suggestion

One last note: if you've come this far and are this dedicated to Latin, it's not a terrible idea to pick up a few reference books. Many options are available to you, even understanding that copious resources are available for free online. As that is true, please understand: you are not required to purchase anything for this course. Even so, call us old school (hey - we teach Latin!), but there is a real value to having a hard copy of the following references:

A Latin dictionary - there are a lot of good options here. You don't need to have the world's biggest or best here - just a nice paperback dictionary will serve you well.
201 Latin Verbs - This one is specific, but it's an excellent reference and just what it says on the cover. 201 Latin Verbs contains complete endings charts for...you guessed it...201 Latin Verbs!
A Latin grammar - again, it's hard to go wrong here, but stick to some of the big names like Gildersleeve, Allen and Greenough, or Henle. The purpose of a Latin grammar reference book is to be able to look up specific grammatical forms. All of these include an index, so if you need to find out more about purpose clauses, you can quickly find the entry you need.

Again, please remember: it's quite easy to find similar (or the same) information on the internet, which is why you don't have to purchase any of these volumes. If you are planning to continue taking Latin at a higher level, though, it's worth considering.

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