culīna
feminine
The English word kitchen is translated into Latin as culīna. Wiktionary also lists coquīna.
Meaning: room (noun)
Ways to say it
| Latin | Note |
|---|---|
| culīna | feminine |
| coquīna | feminine |
Which one should you use?
Both culīna and coquīna mean kitchen, but culīna is the more common classical term.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word is a feminine noun. To indicate the kitchen as the direct object of a verb, such as in the phrase 'entered the kitchen', use the form culīnam. To say 'of the kitchen', use the genitive singular form culīnae.
Did you know?
- The word coquīna is the direct ancestor of the English word 'kitchen', making it a linguistic relative you use every day.
- In many ancient Roman houses, the culīna was small, dark and lacked ventilation, often being relegated to a cramped corner of the house where slaves worked.
- Roman kitchens were often separate from the dining area to prevent the smells of cooking and the smoke from the fire from entering the triclinium, the formal dining room.
Examples in context
- Thōmās culīnam intrāvit.Tom entered the kitchen.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use the form culīna as a direct object.Tatoeba #5052845 by Wezel, translation #1872491 by CK
- Culīna est locus ubi cibum parāmus.The kitchen is the place where we prepare food.
- Marcus in culīnā multās horās laborat.Marcus works in the kitchen for many hours.
- In coquīnāculō meō semper chaos est!My kitchen is always a mess!
- Pauci in coquīnā sed multī in trīclīniō laborant.Few work in the kitchen, but many work in the dining room.
- Culīna est magna.The kitchen is large.
Example conversation
Lucia and Marcus are looking for a room in a house.
- LuciaUbi est culīna?Where is the kitchen?
- MarcusCulīna est ibi.The kitchen is over there.
- LuciaGrātiās, Marce.Thank you, Marcus.
- MarcusLibenter, Lūcia.You're welcome, Lucia.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “kitchen” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
