sapiens
[ˈsa.pi.ẽːs]
The English word 'wise' can be translated into Latin as sapiens or cordātus.
Meaning: showing good judgement (adj)
Ways to say it
| Latin | IPA |
|---|---|
| sapiens | [ˈsa.pi.ẽːs] (Classical Latin, narrow) [ˈsaː.pi.ens] (narrow) |
| cordātus |
The term sapiens is used to describe wisdom derived from intellect, experience or philosophical insight. It is commonly used in formal contexts to denote wisdom.
What does it mean word for word?
The word cordātus is literally 'having a heart' (from cor, heart).
Which one should you use?
sapiens refers to being wise in an intellectual or philosophical sense, whereas cordātus refers to wisdom or nobility that comes from the heart, character or being brave and noble.
Did you know?
- The connection between 'tasting' and 'wisdom' in sapiens suggests that the Romans viewed deep understanding as a sensory experience.
- Because sapiens comes from sapio, it shares a root with the English word 'sapid', which describes something having a strong, pleasant taste.
- Ancient Romans used cordātus not just for wisdom, but to describe someone who was 'stout-hearted' or courageous in the face of danger.
Examples in context
- Vir sapiens fortis est.A wise man is strong.This sentence shows the use of sapiens to describe a man.Tatoeba #7046936 by iart61, translation #7072303 by Alexs
- Mater Didymi sapiens erat.Tom's mother was a wise woman.This sentence shows the use of sapiens to describe a woman.Tatoeba #1394291 by alexmarcelo, translation #1394210 by Spamster
- Quisquis est, is est sapiens.Whoever he is, he's wise.This sentence shows the use of sapiens in a general statement about a person.Tatoeba #5162990 by alexmarcelo, translation #6139684 by CarpeLanam
- Vir sapiens multa scit.A wise man knows many things.
- 15 more sentences on Tatoeba
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wise” translations and entries sapiens, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
