bellum

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈbel.lum/, [ˈbɛlːʲʊ̃ˑ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈbel.lum/, [ˈbɛlːum]

Etymology 1

From older form duellum; compare the changes from duis to bis and from duonus to bonus.

Noun

bellum n (genitive bellī); second declension

1. war

   Synonyms: proelium, pugna, rixa, duellum, dimicatio, certamen, certatus

   belli domīque/ bello domique/ vel belli vel domi/ domi belloque

   In war and peace.

   Dulce bellum inexpertīs

   War is sweet to those who have never experienced it.

   • Flavius Vegetius

     Sī vīs pācem parā bellum.

     If you want peace, prepare for war.

   Si omnes opinionibus pugnent non sint bella.

   If everyone should fight for their own convictions, there would be no wars.

Declension

Second-declension noun (neuter), with locative.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	bellum	bella
Genitive	bellī	bellōrum
Dative	bellō	bellīs
Accusative	bellum	bella
Ablative	bellō	bellīs
Vocative	bellum	bella
Locative	bellī	bellīs

Derived terms

• bellicrepus
• bellicus
• bellidux
• bellifer
• belliger
• belligerator
• belligeratio
• bellipotens
• bellisonus

Related terms

• belligerō
• belligerāns
• bellō

Descendants

• →⇒ English: antebellum, interbellum, postbellum (learned)
• →⇒ Romanian: răzbel (learned)

Etymology 2

Inflection of bellus (“pretty”).

Adjective

bellum

1. inflection of bellus:
   1. nominative/accusative/vocative neuter singular
   2. accusative masculine singular

References

• “bellum”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “bellum”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• bellum 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)
• bellum in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • (ambiguous) to threaten some one with death, crucifixion, torture, war: minitari (minari) alicui mortem, crucem et tormenta, bellum
    
  • (ambiguous) to threaten war, carnage: denuntiare bellum, caedem (Sest. 20. 46)
    
  • (ambiguous) a religious war: bellum pro religionibus susceptum
    
  • (ambiguous) men exempt from service owing to age: qui per aetatem arma ferre non possunt or aetate ad bellum inutiles
    
  • (ambiguous) to charge some one with the conduct of a war: praeficere aliquem bello gerendo
    
  • (ambiguous) the command-in-chief: summa belli, imperii (B. G. 2. 4. 7)
    
  • (ambiguous) to make preparations for war: bellum parare
    
  • (ambiguous) preparations for war; war-material: apparatus (rare in plur.) belli
    
  • (ambiguous) to make formal declaration of war: bellum indīcere, denuntiare
    
  • (ambiguous) a regular, formal war: bellum iustum (pium)
    
  • (ambiguous) a civil war: bellum intestinum, domesticum (opp. bellum externum)
    
  • (ambiguous) to cause a war: bellum facere, movere, excitare
    
  • (ambiguous) to kindle a war: bellum conflare (Fam. 5. 2. 8)
    
  • (ambiguous) to meditate war: bellum moliri
    
  • (ambiguous) to commence hostilities: bellum incipere, belli initium facere (B. G. 7. 1. 5)
    
  • (ambiguous) to interfere in a war: bello se interponere (Liv. 35. 48)
    
  • (ambiguous) to be involved in a war: bello implicari
    
  • (ambiguous) to begin a war with some one: bellum cum aliquo inire
    
  • (ambiguous) a war is imminent: bellum impendet, imminet, instat
    
  • (ambiguous) war breaks out: bellum oritur, exardescit
    
  • (ambiguous) everywhere the torch of war is flaming: omnia bello flagrant or ardent (Fam. 4. 1. 2)
    
  • (ambiguous) to make war on a person: bellum gerere cum aliquo
    
  • (ambiguous) to wage war in conjunction with some one: bellum coniungere (Imp. Pomp. 9. 26)
    
  • (ambiguous) to protract, prolong a war: bellum ducere, trahere, extrahere
    
  • (ambiguous) to carry on a war energetically: omni studio in (ad) bellum incumbere
    
  • (ambiguous) to invade: bellum inferre alicui (Att. 9. 1. 3)
    
  • (ambiguous) to be the aggressor in a war; to act on the offensive: bellum or arma ultro inferre
    
  • (ambiguous) to act on the defensive: bellum (inlatum) defendere
    
  • (ambiguous) to go to war, commence a campaign: proficisci ad bellum, in expeditionem (Sall. Iug. 103)
    
  • (ambiguous) to send to the war: mittere ad bellum
    
  • (ambiguous) to have the control of the war: bellum administrare
    
  • (ambiguous) to harass with war: bello persequi aliquem, lacessere
    
  • (ambiguous) to put an end to war: belli finem facere, bellum finire
    
  • (ambiguous) to terminate a war (by force of arms and defeat of one's opponents): bellum conficere, perficere
    
  • (ambiguous) to terminate a war (by a treaty, etc.: bellum componere (Fam. 10. 33)
    
  • (ambiguous) to transfer the seat of war elsewhere: bellum transferre alio, in...
    
  • (ambiguous) the seat of war, theatre of operations: belli sedes (Liv. 4. 31)
    
  • (ambiguous) to change one's tactics: rationem belli gerendi mutare (Liv. 32. 31)
    
  • (ambiguous) to triumph over some one: triumphare de aliquo (ex bellis)
    

• Dizionario Latino, Olivetti

Old English

Noun

bellum

1. dative plural of belle