saltō
The English verb 'dance' can be translated into Latin in several ways, most commonly as saltō. Wiktionary also lists tripudiō and ballō.
Meaning: move rhythmically to music (verb)
Ways to say it
| Latin |
|---|
| saltō |
| tripudiō |
| ballō |
| balō |
While ballō and balō are general terms for dancing, saltō often implies a more energetic movement involving leaps or jumps. You can also use the noun saltatio to describe the act or the art of dancing.
Which one should you use?
saltō is often used when the dance implies leaping or jumping.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The infinitive form of the verb saltō is saltāre. Related nouns for different types of dance include saltatio, tripudium and saltatus.
Did you know?
- While ballō refers to dancing, the Romans often viewed professional dancing as a low-status activity, sometimes associating it with slaves or foreigners rather than the upper class.
- The term saltus can refer to a leap or a jump, but it also refers to a mountain pass or a woodland glade, showing how movement and landscape were conceptually linked.
- The English word 'salient', meaning prominent or jumping out, shares a distant linguistic connection to the concept of leaping found in saltō.
Examples in context
- Depone curas et gaudeamus tripudio novo!Forget your worries and let's rejoice with a new dance!
- In festo saltō.I dance at the festival.
- Nunc saltō cum amicis.Now I dance with friends.
- Sub luna saltō.I dance under the moon.
Example conversation
Marcus and Lucia are at a party with music playing.
- MarcusMusica est optima, Lucia!The music is great, Lucia!
- LuciaIta, Marce! Visne saltare?Yes, Marcus! Do you want to dance?
- MarcusIta, saltō cum te!Yes, I dance with you!
- LuciaOptime, incipiamus!Great, let's begin!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dance” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
