lectus
[ˈɫɛk.tʊs]masculine
The Latin word for bed is lectus, a masculine noun for the piece of furniture used for sleeping or reclining. Other words include cubīle, torus and grabatus. If unsure, use lectus.
Meaning: piece of furniture (noun)
Ways to say it
| Latin | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| lectus | [ˈɫɛk.tʊs] (Classical Latin, narrow) [ˈlɛk.tus] (narrow) |
masculine |
| cubīle | neuter | |
| torus | [ˈtɔ.rʊs] (Classical Latin, narrow) [ˈtɔː.rus] (narrow) |
masculine |
| grabatus | masculine |
lectus is the most common word for a bed. It covered both the bed for sleeping and the couch on which Romans reclined.
Which one should you use?
lectus is the standard word. cubīle stresses a place for resting or sleeping. torus refers to the soft part of the bed, such as a cushion or mattress. grabatus is a low, simple bed or cot.
How does it change in a sentence?
lectus is a masculine noun. Its genitive singular is lectī, used for possession or relation to the bed and the accusative plural for beds as a direct object is lectōs. cubīle is neuter, while torus and grabatus are masculine.
Did you know?
- The word lectus is actually a form of a verb meaning 'to pick out' or 'select'.
Examples in context
- Puerī sub lectō sunt.The boys are under the bed.After sub, the word takes the form lectō, so the boys are under the bed.
- Lectus in cubiculo est.The bed is in the room.Lectus is the subject here, saying the bed is in the room.Tatoeba #8458735 by alexmarcelo, translation #2898166 by AlanF_US
- Lectus valde commodus est.The bed is very comfortable.Lectus is again the subject, described as very comfortable.Tatoeba #5032030 by alexmarcelo, translation #2730970 by Hybrid
- Quando venis, stratum tibi praeparam.When you come, I will prepare a bed for you.
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucius and Aurelia are discussing furniture for a new room.
- LuciusUbi est lectus novus?Where is the new bed?
- AureliaLectus est in cubiculo.The bed is in the bedroom.
- LuciusAurelia, estne lectus magnus?Aurelia, is the bed large?
- AureliaIta, lectus est magnus.Yes, the bed is large.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bed” translations and entries lectus, torus, grabatus, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries grabatus, lectus, torus, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0, Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
