perditus
The English word "lost" (meaning unable to find one's way) is translated into Latin as perditus. Wiktionary also lists dēsīderārī.
Meaning: unable to find one's way (adj)
Ways to say it
| Latin |
|---|
| perditus |
| dēsīderārī |
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective perditus must agree in gender with the noun it modifies, so use perdita for a feminine subject, perditi for a masculine plural subject and perditae for a feminine plural subject.
Did you know?
- The root of perditus, the verb perdō, originally meant to 'pay out' or 'give away', which evolved into the sense of 'losing' something through giving it away.
- A Roman describing a person as perditus might be commenting that the person is 'utterly wasted' or physically decayed, not just geographically lost.
- In a legal or formal context, calling something perditus could imply that the object has been lost through negligence or has been forfeited.
Examples in context
- Perdidimus viamWe have lost our way.
- Librum meum amisiI have lost my book.
- ErraviI am lost (literally: I have erred).
- Sum perplexusI am lost (literally: I am perplexed).
- In silvā perditus sum.I am lost in the forest.
- Nemo perditus videtur.No one seems lost.
Example conversation
Aurelia and Gaius are walking through a strange forest.
- AureliaGai, puto nos perditos esse.Gaius, I think we are lost.
- GaiusNon sum perditus, Aurelia.I am not lost, Aurelia.
- AureliaSed iter non vides!But you do not see the way!
- GaiusHaec est via recta.This is the straight path.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “lost” translations and entries perditus, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries perditus, CC BY-SA 4.0.
