mīlle
The Latin word for thousand is mīlle. Wiktionary also lists mīlia.
Meaning: cardinal number 1000 (num)
Ways to say it
| Latin |
|---|
| mīlle |
| mīlia |
The term is used as a cardinal number to denote the quantity 1000. The phrase mīlia passuum (a thousand paces) is the historical basis for the English word 'mile'.
Which one should you use?
mīlle is the singular form, while mīlia is the plural form used when referring to multiple thousands.
How does it change in a sentence?
mīlle is a neuter singular noun used when the number is used as a simple cardinal number. mīlia is the neuter plural form.
Did you know?
- In certain poetic contexts, Roman writers used mīlle to mean 'innumerable' or 'countless' rather than exactly 1,000.
- The Roman army used mīlle passuum to mark distances along roads. One 'pace' was two steps, making a Roman mile roughly 1,480 meters, which is longer than a modern English mile.
- Unlike most Latin numbers, mīlle behaves like a noun. This means it can be declined in different cases depending on its role in a sentence, rather than remaining an unchanging adjective.
Examples in context
- Mille libri sunt in bibliotheca.There are a thousand books in the library.
- mīlle passūs ambulāvit.He walked a thousand paces.
Example conversation
Claudia and Gaius are counting coins.
- ClaudiaQuantum pecuniae habes, Gaie?How much money do you have, Gaius?
- GaiusHabeo mīlle aureōs.I have a thousand gold coins.
- ClaudiaId est multa pecūnia!That is a lot of money!
- GaiusIta est, Claudia.It is, Claudia.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “thousand” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
