Latin Translation: Love Courageously

by Leanna

Dear Latin teacher,

What would be the appropriate Latin translation for love courageously? Thanks so much for your help!


Dear Leanna,

There are lots of words for love and lots of words for courage. Nevertheless, here are some ideas on how to say love courageouly in Latin.

animose ama! (animose amate!): This is the best Latin translation of what I think you most likely mean by love courageously. The Latin word animose means courageously as in boldly, nobly, ardently, energetically, in a high minded manner, in a spirited way. The command ama, amate in the plural, can mean love as in romantic love.

Other possiblities:

There are other words that mean courageously in Latin. Audacter means boldly, audaciouly, proudly, but also fearlessly, rashly. It is often applied to the courageous manner of soldiers in battle. Fortiter means boldly, bravely, strongly, and is often applied to situations needing physical strength. Acriter means fiercely, also vehemently, eagerly, zealously.

The verb to love is always tough to translate with precision. I think the simplest verb, amare, works for your Latin translation, but there are a few other possibilities. Diligere means to love with a connotation of holding dear, valuing, respecting. It's a bit more mild than amare. For more shades of meaning, see a previous post called My Woman Loves Me.

But really, you are safe using animose ama for singular, animose amate for plural.

Hope this helps, and thanks for asking a Latin teacher.

Sincerely,

John

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