Learning the GCSE Latin vocab list is much easier than you might think! In this blog we share some Latin vocab memorisation tips from a tutor with years of Latin teaching experience.
Memory tricks can take various forms, but the most common are:
1) Finding English derivations - for example, Latin 'ambulo' is linked to English 'ambulance', as an ambulance does the walking for you.
2) Finding Latin derivations - some Latin words are connected to other Latin words. For example, 'audeo' (I dare) is linked with 'audax' (daring).
3) Silly word play, rhymes, and mnemonics - for example, to remember Latin 'cibus' (meaning food), you could think of the sentence "cib-us some food!" (= 'give us some food!').
Let's put these methods into action by looking at how they may be applied to some key words from the Latin GCSE vocab list. This should help you come up with some ideas of your own for memorising the rest of the words.
Letter A
Latin | English | Memory Trick |
|---|---|---|
alter | the other | Eng derivation: ALTERNATIVE (the OTHER option) |
altus | high | Eng derivation: ALTITUDE (height) |
ambulo | I walk | Eng derivation: AMBULANCE (helps you to WALK) |
amicus | friend | Eng derivation: AMICABLE (FRIENDly) |
animus | mind, spirit, soul | Eng derivation: ANIMATED (full of SPIRIT/SOUL) |
annus | year | Eng derivation: ANNUAL (YEARly) |
appropinquo | I approach | Lat derivation: PROPE (near) |
aqua | water | Eng derivation: AQUEDUCT (conveys WATER) |
audax | bold, daring | Eng derivation: AUDACIOUS (DARing) |
audeo | I dare | Lat derivation: AUDAX (bold, DARing) |
audio | I hear | Eng derivation: AUDIBLE (able to be HEARd) |
auxilium | help | Eng derivation: AUXILIARY (giving support/HELP) |
Letter B
Latin | English | Memory Trick |
|---|---|---|
bonus | good | Eng derivation: BONUS (reward for GOOD performance) |
brevis | short, brief | Eng derivation: BREVITY (concise/SHORT speech) |
Letter C
Latin | English | Memory Trick |
|---|---|---|
caelum | sky | Silly: CAE-LUM = SKY-LUM |
captivus | captive, prisoner | Lat derivation: CAPIO (I capture) - so 'captivus' is literally 'someone captured' |
caput | head | Eng derivation: DECAPITATE (to take off someone's HEAD) |
celer | quick | Eng derivation: ACCELERATE (to get QUICKer) |
cena | dinner | Silly: CENA have some DINNA? (= can I have some dinner?) |
ceteri | the others, the rest | Eng/Lat derivation: ET CETERA (shortened to etc) literally means 'and THE REST' |
cibus | food | Silly: CIB-US some food! (= give us some food!) |
circum | around | Eng derivation: CIRCLE (something which is ROUND) |
civis | citizen | Eng derivation: CIVILISED (behaving as a CITIZEN should) |
Letter D
Latin | English | Memory Trick |
|---|---|---|
debeo | I owe, ought | Eng derivation: DEBT (when you OWE money, and OUGHT to pay it back) |
deinde | then, next | Silly: DEN-DE = THEN-DE |
deleo | I destroy | Eng derivation: DELETE (DESTROYing what you typed) |
dico | I say | Eng derivation: DICTIONARY (tells you what you can SAY) |
dirus | terrible | Eng derivation: DIRE (= TERRIBLE) |
diu | for a long time | Silly: DIU learn diu for a long time? (= Do you learn diu for a long time?) |
donum | gift | Eng derivation: DONATION (a GIFT) |
dormio | I sleep | Eng derivation: DORMITORY (somewhere you SLEEP) |
duco | I lead | Lat derivation: DUX (leader) |
dux | leader | Eng derivation: DUKE (someone who LEADS you) |
Letter E
Latin | English | Memory Trick |
|---|---|---|
e, ex | out of | Eng derivation: EXIT (going OUT OF) |
ego | I, me | Eng derivation: EGOTISTICAL (obsessed with ME, ME, ME) |
emo | I buy | Silly: I buy EMO clothes |
epistula | letter | Eng derivation: EPISTOLARY (a writing genre where the piece takes the form of a LETTER) |
equus | horse | Eng derivation: EQUINE (HORSE-related) |
exercitus | army | Eng derivation: EXERCISE (something the ARMY must do) |
Letter F
Latin | English | Memory Trick |
|---|---|---|
facio | I make, do | Eng derivation: FACTORY (where things are MADE) |
festino | I hurry | Silly: Let's HURRY to the FESTIval |
flumen | river | Eng derivation: LOG FLUME (a RIVER ride) |
Letter G
Latin | English | Memory Trick |
|---|---|---|
gens | family, race, tribe | Eng derivation: GENES (passed on by your FAMILY) |
gladius | sword | Eng/Lat derivation: GLADIATOR (carries a SWORD) |
gravis | heavy, serious | Eng derivation: GRAVITY (makes you HEAVY) |
Letter H
Latin | English | Memory Trick |
|---|---|---|
habito | I live | Eng derivation: INHABIT (to LIVE in a place) |
hortus | garden | Eng derivation: HORTICULTURE (GARDENing) |
hostis | enemy | Eng derivation: HOSTILE (behaving like an ENEMY) |
Letter I
Latin | English | Memory Trick |
|---|---|---|
iam | now, already | Silly: after getting ready to leave the house, I say to myself I AM NOW ALL READY (= iam: now, already) |
ianua | door | Eng derivation: JANUARY (a DOORway to a new year) or JANITOR (locks up the DOORs) |
igitur | therefore | Silly: IGIT-UR = THERE-FUR |
Letter L
Latin | English | Memory Trick |
liber | book | Eng derivation: LIBRARY (somewhere that has BOOKs) |
locus | place | Eng derivation: LOCATION (a PLACE) |
loquor | I speak | Eng derivation: ELOQUENT (SPEAKing well) |
Letter M
Latin | English | Memory Trick |
|---|---|---|
magnus | big | Eng derivation: MAGNIFY (make BIGger) |
miles | soldier | Eng derivation: MILITARY (related to SOLDIERS) |
mox | soon | Silly: my MOCKS are SOON |
Letter N
Latin | English | Memory Trick |
|---|---|---|
nomen | name | Eng derivation: NOMINATE (identify someone by NAME) |
novus | new | Eng derivation: NOVELTY (something NEW) |
nox | night | Eng derivation: NOCTURNAL (NIGHT-related) |
Letter O
Latin | English | Memory Trick |
|---|---|---|
opprimo | I crush | Eng derivation: OPPRESSION (when people are CRUSHed) |
oro | I beg | Eng derivation: ORATORY (BEGging for people's attention in a speech) |
ostendo | I show | Eng derivation: OSTENTATIOUS (SHOWing off) |
Letter P
Latin | English | Memory Trick |
|---|---|---|
patior | I suffer | Eng derivation: PATIENT (a person SUFFERing from an illness; or a person SUFFERing someone else's nonsense) |
pax | peace | Eng derivation: PACIFY (to make PEACE) |
pello | I drive | Eng derivation: REPEL (to DRIVE back); EXPEL (to DRIVE out); PROPEL (to DRIVE forward) |
Letter Q
Latin | English | Memory Trick |
|---|---|---|
quantus? | how big? | Eng derivation: QUANTITY (HOW BIG the amount is) |
quoque | also | Lat derivation: quoque ends in -QUE (meaning 'and') |
quot? | how many? | Eng derivation: QUOTA (HOW MANY are allowed) |
Letter R
Latin | English | Memory Trick |
|---|---|---|
relinquo | I leave behind | Eng derivation: RELINQUISH (to LEAVE BEHIND) |
rex | king | Eng derivation: REGAL (KING-like) |
rogo | I ask | Eng derivation: INTERROGATE (to ASK questions) |
Letter S
Latin | English | Memory Trick |
|---|---|---|
scelestus | wicked | Lat derivation: SCELUS = crime (so 'scelestus' is someone who may commit a crime) |
scio | I know | Eng derivation: SCIENCE (the pursuit of KNOWledge) |
sequor | I follow | Eng derivation: SEQUENCE (when one number FOLLOWS another); SEQUEL (when one book/film FOLLOWS another) |
Letter T
Latin | English | Memory Trick |
|---|---|---|
teneo | I hold | Eng derivation: TENACIOUS (HOLDING on to one's aims) |
trado | I hand over | Eng derivation: TRADITION (something HANDED OVER from one generation to the next) |
turba | crowd | Eng derivation: TURBULENCE (being thrown about, like in a CROWD) |
Letter U
Latin | English | Memory Trick |
|---|---|---|
ubi | where | Silly: WHERE is my UBer? |
umquam | ever | Lat derivation: opposite of 'nUMQUAM' (= nEVER) |
urbs | city | Eng derivation: URBAN (CITY-related) |
Letter V
Latin | English | Memory Trick |
|---|---|---|
vendo | I sell | Eng derivation: VENDING MACHINE (SELLS you something) |
verto | I turn | Eng derivation: VERTICAL (when something horizontal is TURNed around) |
vinco | I conquer | Eng derivation: INVINCIBLE (unable to be CONQUERed) |
Why don't you have a go at coming up with similar ideas for the rest of the vocab list? Post in the comments if you come up with any particularly good ones!
Blog Post Crafted by Joe Hytner
Joe Hytner owns and runs Titanium Tutors. He graduated from King’s College, Cambridge in 2009 with a degree in Classics and then trained as a teacher at Queens’ College, Cambridge, graduating in 2010. He has taught Latin and Ancient Greek in schools and at Cambridge University. Joe has read Harry Potter in Latin from cover to cover. He'd love to be a Gryffindor, but is probably a Hufflepuff as he works too hard.